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FRQM-THE-  LIBRARY-OP 
TRINITYCOLLEGETORDNTO 


.••TO  THE  PURE  ALL  THINGS  ARE  PURE" 

(Puris  omnia  pura) 

— Arab  Proverb. 

"Niuna  corrotta  mente  intese  mai  sanamente  parole." 

— "Decameron  " — conclusion. 


*•  Erubnit,  posuitque  meum  Lucretia  librum 

Sed  coram  Bruto.     Brute  I  recede,  leget. " 

—Martial. 


1  Mieulx  est  de  ris  que  de  larmes  escripre, 

Pour  ce  que  rire  est  le  propre  des  hommes. " 

— RABELAIS. 


"The  pleasure  we  derive  from  perusing  the  Thousand-acd-One 
Storias  makes  ns  regret  that  we  possess  only  a  comparatively  small 
part  of  these  truly  enchanting  fictions." 

— CRICHTON'S  "History  of  Arabia. 


PLAIN    AND     LITERAL     TRANSLATION    OF    THE 
ARABIAN    NIGHTS'    ENTERTAINMENTS,     NOW 
ENTITULED 

THE   BOOK    OF    THE 


flights  anU  a 


W77W  INTRODUCTION  EXPLANATORY  NOTES  ON  THE 
MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  MOSLEM  MEN  AND  A 
TERMINAL  ESSAY  UPON  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE 

NIGHTS 

VOLUME    II. 

BY 

RICHARD    F.     BURTON 


PRINTED    BY   THE    BURTON    CLUB    FOR   PRIVATE 
SUBSCRIBERS    ONLY 


PT 

:\5 


R9U19 


Shammar  Edition 

Limited  to  one  thousand  numbered  sets, 
of  which  this  is 


Number 


PRINTED  IN  U.  S.  A. 


To    JOHN    PAYNE,    ESQ. 

ETC.     ITC.     ETC. 


MV  DEAR    SIR, 

Allow  me.  thus  publicly  to  express  my  admiration  of  your 
magnum  opus,  "The  Book  of  the 'Thousand  Nights  and  One  Night;" 
and  to  offer  you  my  cordial  thanks  for  honouring  me  with  the 
dedication  of  that  scholar-like  and  admirable  version. 

Ever    yours    sincerely, 

RICHARD    F.     BURTON. 


QUEEN'S   COLLEGE,   OXFORP 
August  i,   1885. 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  SECOND  VOLUME. 


7.  NUR  AL-DIN  ALI  AND  THE  DAMSEL  ANIS  AL-JALIS  ...          I 

(Lane,  Chapt.  VI.  Story  of  Noor  ed-Deen  and  Enees  el-Je!ees:  vol.  1.  p.  436) 

8.  TALE    OF    GHANIM    BIN    AYYUB,    THE    DISTRAUGHT,  THE 

THRALL  O'  LOVE 45 

(Lane,   Chapt.   VII.  Story  of  Ghanim  the  Son  of  Eiyoob,  the  Diffracted 
Slave  of  Love:  p.  487.) 

a.  TALE  OF  THE  FIRST  EUNUCH,  BUKHAYT 49 

b.  TALE  OF  THE  SECOND  EUNUCH,  KAFUR S» 

(Story  of  the  Slave  Kafoor :  p.  491.) 

9.  TALE   OF   KING    OMAR    BIN   AL-NU'UMAN    AND    HIS    SONS 

SHARRKAN  AND  ZAU  AL-MAKAN 77 

a.  TALE  OF  TAJ  AL-MULUK  AND  THE  PRINCESS  DUNYA        .      •       .283 
(Lane,  Chapt.  VIII.  Story  of  Taj  el-Mulook  and  the  Lady  Dwiya  :  p.  523.) 

aa.  TALE  OF  Aziz  AND  AZIZAH  ....;...      298 
(Lane,  Chapt.  VIII.  Story  of  AMI  and  Aieezah :  p.  535.) 


The  *Book  of  the  Thousand  Nights  and  a  Night. 


NUR  AL-DIN  AL1  AND  THE  DAMSEL  ANIS  AL-JALIS 

QUOTH  Shahrazad1: — It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King  of 
intelligence  penetrating,  that  there  was,  amongst  the  Kings  of 
Bassorah,2  a  King  who  loved  the  poor  and  needy  and  cherished 
his  lieges,  and  gave  of  his  wealth  to  all  who  believed  in  Mohanv* 
med  (whom  Allah  bless  and  assain !),  and  he  was  even  as  one  of 
the  poets  described  him  : — 

A  King  who  when  hosts  of  the  foe  invade,  o  Receives  them  with  lance-lunge 

and  sabre-3way  ; 
Writes  his  name  on.bosoms  in  thin  red  lines,  o  And  scatters  the  horsemen  in 

wild  dismay.3 


1  Supplementary  to  note  2,  p.  2,  and  note  2,  p.  14,  vol.  i.,  I  may  add  that "  Shnhrdzdd," 
in  the  Shams  al-Loghat,  is  the  P.N.  of  a  King.     L.  Langles  (Les  Voyages  de  Sindibad 
Le  Marin  et  La  Ruse  des  Ferames,  first  appended  to  Savary's  Grammar  and  reprinted 
I2mo.  pp.  161  +  113,  Imprimerie  Royale,  Paris,  M.D.CCC. XIV)  explains  it  by  Le  cypres, 
la  beaut£  de  la  ville  ;  and  he  is  followed  by  (A.  de  Biberstein)  Kazimirski  (Enis  el-Djelis, 
Paris,  Barrois,  1847).    Ouseley  (Orient.  Collect.)  makes  Shahrzad  =  town -born ;  and 
others  an  Arabisation  of  Chehr-dzdd  (free  of  face,  ingenuous  of  countenance)  the  petit 
nom  of  Queen  Humay,  for  whom  see  the  terminal  Essay.     The  name  of  the  sister,  whom 
the  Fihrist  converts  into  a  Kahramanah,  or  nurse,  vulgarly  written  Dindr-zdd,  would  =: 
child  of  gold  pieces,  freed  by  gold  pieces,  or  one  who  has  no  need  of  gold  pieces  :  Din- 
zdd  =  child  of  faith  and  Dayndzdd,  proposed  by  Langles,  "free  from   debt(!)"    I 
have  adopted    Macnaghten's  Dunyazad.     "Shahryar,"    which  Scott  hideously  writes 
"  Shier-ear,"  is  translated  by  the  Shams,  King  of  the  world,  absolute  monarch  and  the 
court  of  Anushirwan  while  the  Burhdn-i-Kiti'a  renders  it  a  King  of  Kings,  and  P.N.  of 
a  town.    Shahr-biz  is  also  the  P.  N.  of  a  town  in  Samarcand. 

2  Arab.  "Malik,"  here  used  as  in  our  story-books:    "  Pompey  was  a  wise  and 
powerful  King"  says  the  Gesta  Romanorum.    This  King  is,  as  will  appear,  a  Regent  or 
Governor  under  Harun  al-Rashid.    In  the  next  tale  he  is  Viceroy  of  Damascus,  where  he 
is  also  called  "Sultan." 

9  The  Bui.  Edit,  gives  the  lines  as  follows  :— 

The  lance  was  his  pen,  and  the  hearts  of  his  foes  •  His  paper,  and  dipped  he  in  blood 

for  ink ; 
Hence  our  sires  entitled  the  spear  Khatli'yah,        •  Meaning  that  withal  man  shall  write, 

I  think. 

The  pun  is  in  "  Khattfyah  '*  which  may  mean  a  writer  (feminine)  and  also  a  spear,  from 
Khatt-Hajar,  a  tract  in  the  province  Al-Bahrayn  (Persian  Gulf),  and  Oman,  where  the 
best  Indian  bamboos  were  landed  and  fashioned  into  lances.  Imr  al-Kays  (Mu'allakah 
v.  4.)  sings  of  "  our  dark  spears  firmly  wrought  of  Khattiyan  cane ; "  Al-Busiri  of  "  the 
brown  lances  of  Khatt ;"  also  see  Lebid  v.  50  and  Hamdsah  pp.  26,  231  :  Antar  notes 
the  "  Spears  of  Khatt "  and  "  Rudaynian  lances."  Rudaynah  is  said  to  have  been  the 

VOL.  n. 


2  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah 

His  name  was  King  Mohammed  bin  Sulayman  al-Zayni,  and  he 
had  two  Wazirs,  one  called  Al-Mu'fn,  son  of  Saw/  and  the  other 
Al-Fazl  son  of  Khdkdn.  Now  Al-Fazl  was  the  most  generous  of 
the  people  of  his  age,  upright  of  life,  so  that  all  hearts  united  in 
loving  him  and  the  wise  flocked  to  him  for  counsel ;  whilst  the 
subjects  used  to  pray  for  his  long  life,  because  he  was  a  compendium 
of  the  best  qualities,  encouraging  the  good  and  lief,  and  preventing 
evil  and  mischief.  But  the  Wazir  Mu'in  bin  Sawi  on  the  contrary 
hated  folk  J  and  loved  not  the  good  and  was  a  mere  compound  of 
ill ;  even  as  was  said  of  him  : — 

Hold  to  nobles,  sons  of  nobles !  'tis  ever  Nature's  test  o  That  nobles  born  of 

nobles  shall  excel  in  noble  deed  : 
And  shun  the  mean  of  soul,  meanly  bred,  for  'tis  the  law,  o    Mean  deeds  come  of 

men  who  are  mean  of  blood  and  breed. 

And  as  much  as  the  people  loved  and  fondly  loved  Al-Fazl  bin 
Khakan,  so  they  hated  and  thoroughly  hated  the  mean  and  miserly 
Mu'in  bin  Sawi.  It  befel  one  day  by  the  decree  of  the  Decreer, 
that  King  Mohammed  bin  Sulayman  al-Zayni,  being  seated  on  his 
throne  with  his  officers  of  state  about  him,  summoned  his  Wazir 
Al-Fazl  and  said  to  him,  "  I  wish  to  have  a  slave-girl  of  passing 
beauty,  perfect  in  loveliness,  exquisite  in  symmetry  and  endowed 
with  all  praiseworthy  gifts."  Said  the  courtiers,  "  Such  a  girl  is 
not  to  be  bought  for  less  than  ten  thousand  gold  pieces :"  where- 
upon the  Sultan  called  out  to  his  treasurer  and  said,  "  Carry  ten 
thousand  dinars  to  the  house  of  Al-Fazl  bin  Khakan."  The  trea- 
surer did  the  King's  bidding ;  and  the  Minister  went  away,  after 
receiving  the  royal  charge  to  repair  to  the  slave-bazar  every  day, 
and  entrust  to  brokers  the  matter  aforesaid.  Moreover  the  King 
issued  orders  that  girls  worth  above  a  thousand  gold  pieces  should 
not  be  bought  or  sold  without  being  first  displayed  to  the  Wazir. 
Accordingly  no  broker  purchased  a  slave-girl  ere  she  had  been 
paraded  before  the  minister  ;  but  none  pleased  him,  till  one  day  a 


wife  of  one  Samhdr,  the  Ferrara  of  lances  ;  others  make  her  the  wife  of  Al-Ka'azab  and 
hold  Sarnhdr  to  be  a  town  in  Abyssinia  where  the  best  weapons  were  manufactured. 
The  pen  is  the  Calamus  or  Kalam  (reed  cut  for  pen)  of  which  the  finest  and  hardest  are 
brought  from  Java :  they  require  the  least  nibbing.  The  rhetorical  figure  in  the  text  is 
called  Husn  al-Ta'alil,  our  aetiology ;  and  is  as  admirable  to  the  Arabs  as  it  appears 
silly  to  us. 

1  "  He  loves  folk  "  is  high  praise,  meaning  something  more  than  benevolence  and 
beneficence.    Like  charity  it  covers  a  host  of  sins. 


Nur  al-Din  Alt  and  the  Damsel  Anis  al-Jalis.  3 

dealer  came  to  the  house  and  found  him  taking  horse  and  intending 
for  the  palace.  So  he  caught  hold  of  his  stirrup  saying : — 

O  thou,  who  givest  to  royal  state  sweet  savour,  o  Thou'rt  a  Wazir  shalt  never 

fail  of  favour ! 
Dead  Bounty  thou  hast  raised  to  life  for  men ;  o  Ne'er  fail  of  Allah's  grace  such 

high  endeavour ! 

Then  qiroth  he,  "  O  my  lord,  that  surpassing  object  for  whom  the 
gracious  mandate  was  issued  is  at  last  found  ;l "  and  quoth  the 
Wazir,  "  Here  with  her  to  me  !  "  So  he  went  away  and  returned 
after  a  little,  bringing  a  damsel  in  richest  raiment  robed,  a  maid 
spear-straight  of  stature  and  five  feet  tall  ;  budding  of  bosom  with 
eyes  large  and  black  as  by  Kohl  traced,  and  dewy  lips  sweeter  than 
syrup  or  the  sherbet  one  sips,  a  virginette  smooth  cheeked  and 
shapely  faced,  whose  slender  waist  with  massive  hips  was  engraced ; 
a  form  more  pleasing  than  branchlet  waving  upon  the  topmost  trees, 
and  a  voice  softer  and  gentler  than  the  morning  breeze,  even  as 
saith  one  of  those  who  have  described  her  : — 

Strange  is  the  charm  which  dights  her  brows  like  Luna's  disk  that  shine  ;  o  O 

sweeter  taste  than  sweetest  Robb2  or  raisins  of  the  vine  . 
A  throne  th'  Empyrean  keeps  for  her  in  high  and  glorious  state,  o  For  wit  and 

wisdom,  wandlike  form  and  graceful  bending  line  : 
She  in  the  Heaven  of  her  face3  the  seven-fold  stars  displays,  o  That  guard  her 

cheeks  as  satellites  against  the  spy's  design  : 
If  man  should  cast  a  furtive  glance  or  steal  far  look  at  her,  o  His  heart  is  burnt 

by  devil-bolts  shot  by  those  piercing  eyne. 

When  the  Wazir  saw  her  she  made  him  marvel  with  excess  of 
admiration,  so  he  turned,  perfectly  pleased,  to  the  broker  and  asked, 
"What  is  the  price  of  this  girl?";  whereto  he  answered,  "Her 
market-value  stands  at  ten  thousand  dinars,  but  her  owner  swears 
that  this  sum  will  not  cover  the  cost  of  the  chickens  she  hath  eaten, 
the  wine  she  hath  drunken  and  the  dresses  of  honour  bestowed 
upon  her  instructor :  for  she  hath  learned  calligraphy  and  syntax 
and  etymology ;  the  commentaries  of  the  Koran  ;  the  principles 
of  law  and  religion  ;  the  canons  of  medicine,  and  the  calendar  and 
the  art  of  playing  on  musical  instruments."4  Said  the  Wazir, 
"  Bring  me  her  master."  So  the  broker  brought  him  at  once  and, 

1  The  sentence  is  euphuistic. 

2  Arab.  "  Rubb"  =  syrup  a  word  Europeanised  by  the  "  Rob  Laffecteur." 

3  The  Septentriones  or  four  oxen  and  their  wain. 

*  The  list  fatally  reminds  us  of  "  astronomy  and  the  use  of  the  globes"  ..."  Shakes- 
peare and  the  musical  glasses." 


4  A  If  Laylah  wa  Lay  la  k. 

behold,  he  was  a  Persian  of  whom  there  was  left  only  what  the  days 
had  left;  for  he  was  as  a  vulture  bald  and  scald  and  a  wall  trembling 
to  its  fall.  Time  had  buffetted  him  with  sore  smart,  yet  was  he  not 
willing  this  world  to  depart;  even  as  said  the  poet:— 

Time  hath  shattered  all  my  frame,  o  Oh  !  how  time  hath  shattered  roe* 
Time  with  lordly  might  can  tame    <»  Manly  strength  and  vigour  free. 
Time  was  in  my  youth,  that  none  c  Sped  their  way  more  fleet  and  fast : 
Time  is  and  my  strength  is  gone,    o  Youth  is  sped,  and  speed  is  past.1 

[The  Wazir  asked  him,  "  Art  thou  content  to  sell  this  slave-girl  to 
the  Sultan  for  ten  thousand  dinars  ?  "  ;  and  the  Persian  answered, 
"By  Allah,  if  I  offered  her  to  the  King  for  naught,  it  were  but  my 
devoir,"2  So  the  Minister  bade  bring  the  monies  and  saw  them 
weighed  out  to  the  Persian,  who  stood  up  before  him  and  said, 
"  By  the  leave  of  our  lord  the  Wazir,  I  have  somewhat  to  say ;" 
and  the  Wazir  replied,  "  Out  with  all  thou  hast ! "  "  It  is  my 
opinion,"  continued  the  slave-dealer,  "that  thou  shouldst  not 
carry  the  maid  to  the  King  this  day;  for  she  is  newly  off  a 
journey;  the  change  of  air3  hath  affected  her  and  the  toils  of 
trouble  have  fretted  her.  But  keep  her  quiet  in  thy  palace 
some  ten  days,  that  she  may  recover  her  looks  and  become  again 
as  she  was.  Then  send  her  to  the  Hammam  and  clothe  her  in  the 
richest  of  clothes  and  go  up  with  her  to  the  Sultan  :  this  will  be 
more  to  thy  profit."  The  Wazir  pondered  the  Persian's  words  and 
approved  of  their  wisdom ;  so  he  carried  her  to  his  palace,  where 
he  appointed  her  private  rooms,  and  allowed  her  every  day  what- 
ever she  wanted  of  meat  and  drink  and  so  forth.  And  on  this 
wise  she  abode  a  while.  Now  the  Wazir  Al-Fazl  had  a  son  like 
the  full  moon  when  shceniest  dight,  with  face  radiant  in  light, 
cheeks  ruddy  bright,  and  a  mole  like  a  dot  of  ambergris  on  a 
downy  site;  as  said  of  him  the  poet  and  said  full  right : — 

A  moon  which  blights  you 4  if  you  dare  behold  ;  o  A  branch  which  folds  you  in 
its  waving  fold  : 

1  The  octave  occurs  in  Night  xv.     I  quote  Torrens  (p.  360)  by  way  of  variety. 

*  A  courteous* formula  of  closing  with  the  offer. 

8  To  express  our  "change  of  climate"  Easterns  say,  " change  of  water  and  air,*' 
water  coming  first. 

4  "The  sun  shall  not  smite  thee  by  day,  nor  the  moon  by  night"  (Psalm  cxxi.  6). 
Easterns  still  believe  in  the  blighting  effect  of  the  moon's  rays,  which  the  Northerners  of 
Europe,  who  view  it  under  different  conditions,  are  pleased  to  deny.  I  have  seen  a  hale 
and  hearty  Arab,  after  sitting  an  hour  in  the  moonlight,  look  like  a  man  fresh  from  a  sick 
bed  ;  and  I  knew  an  Englishman  in  India  whose  face  was  temporarily  paralysed  by 
sleeping  with  it  exposed  to  the  moon. 


Nur  al-Din  Alt  ana  the  Damsel  Ants  al-Jalis.  5 

Locks  of  the  Zanj l  and  golden  glint  of  hair  ;  •  Sweet  gait  and  form  a  spear  to 

have  and  hold : 
Ah !  hard  of  heart  with  softest  slenderest  waist,  o  That  evil  to  this  weal  why 

not  remould  ? 3 
Were  thy  form's  softness  placed  in  thy  heart,  o  Ne'er  would  thy  lover  find  thee 

harsh  and  cold : 
Oh  thou  accuser !  be  my  love's  excuser,  o  Nor  chide  if  love-pangs  deal  me 

woes  untold  ! 
I  bear  no  blame  ;  'tis  all  ray  heart  and  eyne  ;  o  So  leave  thy  blaming,  let  me 

yearn  and  pine. 

Now  the  handsome  youth  knew  not  the  affair  of  the  damsel ; 
and  his  father  had  enjoined  her  closely,  saying,  "  Know,  O  my 
daughter,  that  I  have  bought  thee  as  a  bedfellow  for  our  King, 
Mohammed  bin  Sulayman  al-Zayni ;  and  I  have  a  son  who  is  a 
Satan  for  girls  and  leaves  no  maid  in  the  neighbourhood  without 
taking  her  maidenhead;  so  be  on  thy  guard  against  him  and  beware 
of  letting  him  see  thy  face  or  hear  thy  voice."  "  Hearkening  and 
obedience,"  said  the  girl ;  and  he  left  her  and  fared  forth.  Some 
days  after  this  it  happened  by  decree  of  Destiny,  that  the  damsel 
repaired  to  the  baths  in  the  house,  where  some  of  the  slave  women 
bathed  her ;  after  which  she  arrayed  herself  in  sumptuous  raiment; 
and  her  beauty  and  loveliness  were  thereby  redoubled.  Then  she 
went  in  to  the  Wazir's  wife  and  kissed  her  hand ;  and  the  dame 
said  to  her,  "  Naiman !  May  it  benefit  thee,3  O  Anis  al-Jalis!4 
Are  not  our  baths  handsome  ? "  "  O  my  mistress,"  she  replied, 
"  I  lacked  naught  there  save  thy  gracious  presence."  Thereupon 
the  lady  said  to  her  slave-women,  "  Come  with  us  to  the  Hammam, 


*  The  negroids  and  negroes  of  Zanzibar. 

*  i.e.  Why  not  make  thy  heart  as  soft  as  thy  sides  !    The  converse  of  this  was  reported 
at  Paris  during  the  Empire,  when  a  man  had  by  mistake  pinched  a  very  high  personage  : 
"  Ah,  Madame  !  if  your  heart  be  as  hard  as  (what  he  had  pinched)  I  am  a  lost  man." 

3  "  Na'iman  "  is  said  to  one  after  bathing  or  head-shaving  :  the  proper  reply,  for  in 
the  East  every  sign  of  ceremony  has  its  countersign^  "  Allah  benefit  thee!  "  (Pilgrimage 
i.  ii,  iii.  285  ;  Lane  M.  E.  chapt.  viii. ;  Caussin  de  Perceval's  Arabic  Grammar,  etc.,  etc.). 
I  have  given  a  specimen  (Pilgrimage  i.,  122)  not  only  of  sign  and  countersign,  but  also 
of  the  rhyming  repartee  which  rakes  love.     Hanien  I  (pleasant  to  thee  I  said  when  a  man 
drinks).     Allah  pleasure  thee  (Allah  yuhannik  which  Arnauts  and  other  ruffians  perverted 
to  Allah  yanik,  Allah  copulate  with  thee);  thou  drinkest  for  ten  /—I  am  the  cock  and  thou 
art  the  hen!  (i.e.  &  passive  catamite)— Nay,  I  am  the  thick  one  (the  penis  which  gives 
pleasure)  and  thou  art  the  thin  !    And  so  forth  with  most  unpleasant  pleasantries. 

4  In  the  old  version  she  is  called  "  The  Fair  Persian,"  probably  from  the  owner :  her 
name  means  "  The  Cheerer  of  the  Companion." 


6  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylakl 

for  it  is  some  days  since  we  went  there  :"  they  answered,  "  To  hear, 
is  to  obey!"  and  rose  and  all  accompanied  her.  Now  she  had 
set  two  little  slave-girls  to  keep  the  door  of  the  private  chamber 
wherein  was  Anis  al-Jalis  and  had  said  to  them,  "  Suffer  none  go 
in  to  the  damsel."  Presently,  as  the  beautiful  maiden  sat  resting  in 
her  rooms,  suddenly  came  in  the  Wazir's  son  whose  name  was  Nur 
al-Dm  AH,1  and  asked  after  his  mother  and  her  women,  to  which 
the  two  little  slave-girls  replied,  "  They  are  in  the  Hammam." 
But  the  damsel,  Anis  al-Jalis,  had  heard  from  within  Nur  al-Din 
Ali's  voice  and  had  said  to  herself,  "  O  would  Heaven  I  saw  what 
like  is  this  youth  against  whom  the  Wazir  warned  me,  saying  that 
he  hath  not  left  a  virgin  in  the  neighbourhood  without  taking  her 
virginity :  by  Allah,  I  do  long  to  have  sight  of  him ! "  So  she 
sprang  to  her  feet  with  the  freshness  of  the  bath  on  her  and,  step- 
ping to  the  door,  looked  at  Nur  al-Din  Ali  and  saw  a  youth  like 
the  moon  in  its  full  ^nd  the  sight  bequeathed  her  a  thousand  sighs. 
The  young  man  alsfr  glanced  at  her  and  the  look  made  him  heir  to 
a  thousand  thoughts  of  care ;  and  each  fell  into  Love's  ready- 
snare.  Then  he  stepped  up  to  the  two  little  slave-girls  and  cried 
aloud  at  them  ;  whereupon  both  fled  before  him  and  stood  afar  off 
to  see  what  he  would  do.  And  behold,  he  walked  to  the  door  of 
the  damsel's  chamber  and,  opening  it,  went  in  and  asked  her 
"  Art  thou  she  my  father  bought  for  me  ? "  and  she  answered 
"  Yes."  Thereupon  the  youth,  who  was  warm  with  wine,  came  up 
to  her  and  embraced  her ;  then  he  took  her  legs  and  passed  them; 
round  his  waist  and  she  wound  her  arms  about  his  neck,  and  met 
him  with  kisses  and  murmurs  of  pleasure  and  amorous  toyings. 
Next  he  sucked  her  tongue  and  she  sucked  his  and,  lastly,  he 
loosed  the  strings  of  her  petticoat-trousers  and  abated  her  maiden- 
•head.  When  the  two  little  slave-girls  saw  their  young  master  get 
in  unto  the  damsel,  Anis  al-Jalis',  they  cried  out  and  shrieked  ;  so 
as  soon  as  the  youth  had  had  his  wicked  will  of  her,  he  rose  and 
fled  forth  fearing  the  consequences  of  his  ill-doing.  When  the 
Wazir's  wife  heard  the  slave-girls'  cries,  she  sprang  up  and  came 
out  of  the  baths  with  the  perspiration  pouring  from  her  face, 
saying,  "  What  is  this  unseemly  clamour  in  the  house 2  ? "  Then 
she  came  up  to  the  two  little  slave-girls  and  asked  them  saying, 

1  Pronounce  "  Nooraddeen."     I  give  the  name  as  written  in  Arabic. 
1  Amongst  Moslems,  I  have  said,  it  is  held  highly  disgraceful  when  the  sound  ofj 
women's  cries  can  be  heard  by  outsiders. 


Nur  al-Din  Ali  and  the  Damsel  Anis  al-Jalts.  7 

"  Fie  upon  you  !  what  is  the  matter  ? " ;  and  both  answered,  "  Verily 
our  lord  Nur  al-Din  came  in  and  beat  us,  so  we  fled ;  then  he  went 
up  to  Anis  al-Jalis  and  threw  his  arms  round  her  and  we  know  not 
what  he  did  after  that;  but  when  we  cried  out  to  thee  he  ran 
away."  Upon  this  the  lady  went  to  Anis  al-Jalis  and  said  to  her, 
"  What  tidings  ? "  "  O  my  lady,"  she  answered,  "as  I  was  sitting 
here  lo !  a  handsome  young  man  came  in  and  said  to  me  :—Art 
thou  she  my  father  bought  for  me  ? ;  and  I  answered  Yes ;  for,  by 
Allah,  O  mistress  mine,  I  believed  that  his  words  were  true ;  and 
he  instantly  came  in  and  embraced  me."  "  Did  he  nought  else  with 
thee  but  this  ? "  quoth  the  lady,  and  quoth  she,  "  Indeed  he  did  ! 
But  he  did  it  only  three  times."  "  He  did  not  leave  thee  without 
dishonouring  thee!"  cried  the  Wazir's  wife  and  fell  to  weeping 
and  buffetting  her  face,  she  and  the  girl  and  all  the  handmaidens, 
fearing  lest  Nur  al-Din's  father  should  kill  him.1  Whilst  they  were 
thus,  in  came  the  Wazir  and  asked  what  was  the  matter,  and  his 
wife  said  to  him,  "  Swear  that  whatso  I  tell  thee  thou  wilt  attend 
to  it."  "  I  will,"  answered  he.  So  she  related  to  him  what  his  son 
had  done,  whereat  he  was  much  concerned  and  rent  his  raiment 
and  smote  his  face  till  his  nose  bled,  and  plucked  out  his  beard  by 
the  handful.  "  Do  not  kill  thyself,"  said  his  wife,  "  I  will  give  thee 
ten  thousand  dinars,  her  price,  of  my  own  money."  But  he  raised 
his  head  and  cried*  "Out  upon  thee!  I  have  no  need  of  her 
purchase-money :  my  fear  is  lest  life  as  well  as  money  go."  "  O 
my  lord,  and  how  is  that  ? "  "  Wottest  thou  not  that  yonder 
standeth  our  enemy  Al  Mu'in  bin  Sawi  who,  as  soon  as  he  shall 

hear  of  this  matter,  will  go  up  to  the  Sultan  " And  Shahrazad 

perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


Jiofo  to&en  ft  foas  tfie  {S$irtg-fifti) 


She  continued,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  trie 
Wazir  said  to  his  wife,  "  Wottest  thou  not  that  yonder  standeth 
our  enemy  Al-Mu'in  bin  Sawi  who,  as  soon  as  he  hears  of  this 
matter  will  go  up  to  the  Sultan  and  say  to  him  :  —  Thy  Wazir 


1  In  a  case  like  this,  the  father  would  be  justified  by  Rasm  (or  usage)  not  by  Koranic 
law,  in  playing  Brutus  with  his  son.  The  same  would  be  the  case  in  a  detected  intrigue 
with  a  paternal  concubine  and,  in  very  strict  houses,  with  a  slave-girl. 


8  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

who,  thou  wilt  have  it  loveth  thee,  took- from  thee  ten  thousand 
ducats  and  bought  therewith  a  slave-girl  whose  like  none  ever 
beheld ;  but  when  he  saw  her,  she  pleased  him  and  hg  said  vto  his 
son  : — Take  her :  thou  art  worthier  of  her  than  the  Sultan.     So  he 
took  her  and  did  away  with  her  virginity  and  she  is  now  in  his 
house.     The  King  will  say : — Thou  liest !  to  which  he  will  reply : — 
With  thy  leave  I  will  fall  upon  him  unawares  and  bring  her  to  thee. 
The  King  will  give  him  warranty  for  this  and  he  will  come  down 
upon  the  house  and  will  take  the  girl  and  present  her  to  the  Sultan, 
who  will  question  her  and  she  will  not  be  able  to  deny  the  past. 
Then  mine  enemy  will  say :— O  my  lord,  thou  wottest  that  I  give 
thee  the  best  of  counsel ;  but  I  have  not  found  favour  in  thine  eyes. 
Thereupon  the  Sultan  will  make  an  example  of  me,  and  I  shall  be 
a  gazing-stock  to  all  the  people  and  my  life  will  be  lost."     Quoth 
his  wife,  "  Let  none  know  of  this  thing  which  hath  happened  privily, 
and  commit  thy  case  to  Allah  and  trust  in  Him  to  save  thee  from 
such  strait ;  for  He  who  knoweth  the  future  shall  provide  for  the 
future."    With  this  she  brought  the  Wazir  a  cup  of  wine  and  his 
heart  was  quieted,  and  he  ceased  to  feel  wrath  and  fear.     Thus  far 
concerning  him  ;  but  as  regards  his  son  Nur  al-Din  AH,  fearing  the 
consequence  of  his  misdeed  he  abode  his  day  long  in  the  ..flower- 
garden  and  came  back  only  at  night  to  his  mother's  apartment 
where  he  slept ;  and,  rising  before  dawn,  returned  to  the  gardens. 
He  ceased  not  to  do  thus  for  two  whole  months  without  showing 
his  face  to  his  parent,  till  at  last  his  mother  said  to  his  father,  "  O 
my  lord,  shall  we  lose  our  boy  as  well  as  the  girl  ?     If  matters 
continue  long  in  this  way  he  will  flee  from  us."     "  And  what  to 
do  ? "  asked  he ;   and  she  answered,  "  Do  thou  watch  this  night ; 
and,  when  he  cometh,  seize  on  him  and  frighten  him :  I  will  rescue 
him  from  thee  and  do  thou  make  peace  with  him  and  give  him  the 
damsel  to  wife,  for  she  loveth  him  as  he  loveth  her.    And  I  will 
pay  thee  her  price."     So  the  Minister  sat  up  that  night  and,  when 
his  son  came,  he  seized  him  and  throwing  him  down  knelt  on  his 
breast  and  showed  as  though  he  would  cut  his  throat ;   but  his 
mother   ran    to   the   youth's    succour   and    asked    her   husband, 
"  What  wouldest  thou  do  with  him  ? "     He  answered  her,  "  I  will 
split  his  weasand."     Said  the  son  to  the  father,  "  Is  my  death,  then, 
so  light  a  matter  to  thee  ? " ;  and  his  father's  eyes  welled  with  tears, 
for  natural  affection  moved  him,  and  he  rejoined,  "  O  my  son,  how 
light  was  to  thee  the  loss  of  my  good  and  my  life !  "     Quoth  Nu 
al-Din,  "  Hear,  O  my  father,  what  the  poet  hath  said :— 


Nur  al-Dln  Alt  and  the  Damsel  Ams  al-Jalis.  9 

Forgive  me !  thee-ward  sinned  I,  but  the  wise  o  Ne'er  to  the  sinner  shall  deny 

his  grace : 
Thyfoe  may  pardon  sue  when  lieth  he  o  In  lowest,  and  thou   boldest 

highest  place ! " 

Thereupon  the  Wazir  rose  from  off  his  son's  breast  saying,  "  I 
forgive  thee ! " ;  for  his  heart  yearned  to  him  ;  and  the  youth  kissed 
the  hand  of  his  sire  who  said,  "  O  my  son,  were  I  sure  that  thou 
wouldest  deal  justly  by  Anis  al-Jalis,  I  would  give  her  to  thee." 
"  O  my  father,  what  justice  am  I  to  do  to  her  ?  "  "  I  enjoin  thee, 

0  my  son,  not  to  take  another  wife  or  concubine  to  share  with  her, 
nor  sell  her."    "  O  my  father !  I  swear  to  thee  that  verily  I  will  not 
do  her  injustice  in  either  way."     Having  sworn  to  that  effect  Nur 
al-Din  went  in  to  the  damsel  and  abode  with  her_a  whole  year, 
whilst  Allah  Almighty  caused  the  King  to  forget  the  matter  of  the 
maiden  ;  and  Al-Mu'in,  though  the  affair  came  to  his  ears,  dared 
not  divulge  it  by  reason  of  the  high  favour  in  which  his  rival  stood 
with  the  Sultan.    At  the  end  of  the  year  Al-Fazl  went  one  day  to 
the  public  baths ;  and,  as  he  came  out  whilst  he  was  still  sweating, 
the  air  struck  him  l  and  he  caught  a  cold  which  turned  to  a  fever  ; 
then  he  took  to  his  bed.     His  malady  gained  ground  and  rest- 
lessness was  longsome  upon  him  and  weakness  bound  him  like  a 
chain ;  so  he  called  out,  "  Hither  with  my  son  ; "  and  when  Nur 
al-Din  Ali  came  he  said  to  him,  "  O  my  son,  know  that  man's  lot 
and  means  are  distributed  and  decreed ;  and  the  end  of  days  by  all 
must  be  dree'd  ;  and  that  every  soul  drain  the  cup  of  death  is 
nature's  need."     Then  he  repeated  these  lines : — 

1  die  my  death,  but  He  alone  is  great  who  dieth  not !  o  And  well  I  wot,  soon 

shall  I  die,  for  death  was  made  my  lot: 

A  King  there's  not  that  dies  and  holds  his  kingdom  in  his  hand,  o  For 
Sovranty  the  Kingdom  is  of  Him  who  dieth  not. 

Then  he  continued,  "  O  my  son,  I  have  no  charge  to  leave  thee 
save  that  thou  fear  Allah  and  look  to  the  issues  of  thine  acts  and 
bear  in  mind  my  injunctions  anent  Anis  al-Jalis."  4'O  my  father !  " 
said  Nur  al-Din,  "who  is  like  unto  thee  ?  Indeed  thou  art  famed 
for  well  doing  and  preachers  offer  prayers  for  thee  in  their  pulpits!" 
Quoth  Al-Fazl, "  O  my  son,  I  hope  that  Allah  Almighty  may  grant 


1  Orientals  fear  the  "  Zug  "  or  draught  as  much  as  Germans ;  and  with  even  a  better 
Draughts  are  most  dangerous  in  hot  climates. 


IO  A  If  Laylak  wa  Laylafo 

me  acceptance ! "  Then  he  pronounced  the  Two  Testimonies,1  or 
Professions  of  the  Faith,  and  was  recorded  among  the  blessed. 
The  palace  was  filled  with  crying  and  lamentation  and  the  news 
of  his  death  reached  the  King,  and  the  city-people  wept,  even  those 
at  their  prayers  and  women  at  household  cares  and  the  school- 
children shed  tears  for  Bin-Khakan.  Then  his  son  Nur  al-Din  Ali 
arose  and  made  ready  his  funeral,  and  the  Emirs  and  Wazirs  and 
high  Officers  of  State  and  city-notables  were  present,  amongst 
them  the  Wazir  al-Mu'in  bin  Sawi.  And  as  the  bier  went  forth 
from  the  house  some  one  in  the  crowd  of  mourners  began  to  chant 
these  lines : — 

On  the  fifth  day  I  quitted  all  my  friends  for  evermore,        o  And  they  laid  me 

out  and  washed  me  on  a  slab  without  my  door  :2 
They  stripped  me  of  the  clothes  I  was  ever  wont  to  wear,  c  And  they  clothed 

me  in  the  clothes  which  till  then  I  never  wore . 
On  four  men's  necks  they  bore  me  and  carried  me  from  home  o  To  chapel ;  and 

some  prayed  for  him  on  neck  they  bore  : 
They  prayed  for  me  a  prayer  that  no  prostration  knows ; 3     o  They  prayed  for 

me  who  praised  me  and  were  my  friends  of  yore ; 
And  they  laid  me  in  a  house  with  a  ceiling  vaulted  o'er,      o  And  Time  shall 

be  no  more  ere  it  ope  to  me  its  door. 

When  they  had  shovelled  in  the  dust  over  him  and  the  crowd  had 
dispersed,  Nur  al-Din  returned  home  and  he  lamented  with  sobs 
and  tears;  and  the  tongue  of  the  case  repeated  these  couplets  : — 

On  the  fifth  day  at  even-tide  they  went  away  from  me:  o  I  farewelled  them  as 

faring  they  made  farewell  my  lot : 
But  my  spirit  as  they  went,  with  them  went  and  so  I  cried,  o  "  Ah  return  ye  I " 

but  replied  she,  "  Alas  !  return  is  not 
To  a  framework  lere  and  lorn  that  lacketh  blood  and  life,  o  A  frame  whereof 

remaineth  naught  but  bones  that  rattle  and  rot : 
Mine  eyes  are  blind  and  cannot  see  quencht  by  the  flowing  tear !  o  Mine  ears 

are  dull  and  lost  to  sense:  they  have  no  power  to  hear! " 

He  abode  a  long  time  sorrowing  for  his  father  till,  one  day,  as  he 
was  sitting  at  home,  there  came  a  knocking  at  the  door;  so  he  rose 
in  haste  and  opening  let  in  a  man,  one  of  his  father's  intimates  and 
who  had  been  the  Wazir's  boon-companion.  The  visitor  kissed 

1  The  Unity  of  the  Godhead  and  the  Apostleship  of  Mohammed. 

2  This  would  be  done  only  in  the  case  of  the  very  poor. 

3  Prayers  over  the  dead  are  not  universal  in  AMslam  ;  but  when  they  are  recited  they 
lack  the  "sijdah"  or  prostration. 


Nur  al-Din  All  and  the  Damsel  Anis  al-Jalis.  II 

Nur  al-Din's  hand  and  said  to  him,  "  O  my  lord,  he  who  hath  left 
the  like  of  thee  is  not  dead  ;  and  this  way  went  also  the  Chief  of 
the  Ancients  and  the  Moderns.1  O  my  lord  AH,  be  comforted 
and  leave  sorrowing/'  Thereupon  Nur  al-Din  rose  and  going  to 
the  guest-saloon  transported  thither  all  he  needed.  Then  he 
assembled  his  companions  and  took  his  handmaid  again  ;  and, 
collecting  round  him  ten  of  the  sons  of  the  merchants,  began  to 
eat  meat  and  drink  wine,  giving  entertainment  after  entertain- 
ment and  lavishing  his  presents  and  his  favours.  One  day  his 
Steward  came  to  him  and  said,  "  O  my  lord  Nur  al-Din,  hast 
thou  not  heard  the  saying,  Whoso  spendeth  and  reckoneth  not, 
to  poverty  wendeth  and  recketh  not  ? "  And  he  repeated  what  the 
poet  wrote : — 

I  look  to  my  money  and  keep  it  with  care,  o  For  right  well  I  wot  'tis  my 

buckler  and  brand : 
Did  I  lavish  my  dirhams-  on  hostilest  foes,2  o  I  should  truck  my  good  luck 

by  mine  ill  luck  trepanned  : 
So   I'll  eat  it  and  drink  it  and  joy  in  my  wealth;  o  And  no  spending  my 

pennies  on  others  I'll  stand  : 
I  will  keep  my  purse  close  'gainst  whoever  he  be;  o  And  a  niggard  in  grain  a 

true  friend  ne'er  I  fand  : 
Far  better  deny  him  than  come  to  say:— Lend,  o  And  five-fold  the  loan  shall 

return  to  thy  hand  ! 

And  he  turns  face  aside  and  he  sidles  away,  o  While  I  stand  like  a  dog  dis- 
appointed, unmanned. 
Oh,  the  sorry  lot  his  who  hath  yellow-boys  none,  o  Though  his  genius  and 

virtues  shine  bright  as  the  sun ! 

"  O  my  master,"  continued  the  Steward,  "  this  lavish  outlay  and 
these  magnificent  gifts  waste  away  wealth."  When  Nur  al-Din  Ali 
heard  these  words  he  looked  at  his  servant  and  cried,  "  Of  all  thou 
hast  spoken  I  will  not  heed  one  single  word,  for  I  have  heard  the 
saying  of  the  poet  who  saith  ; — 

An  my  palm  be  full  of  wealth  and  my  wealth  I  ne'er  bestow,  o  A  palsy  take 

my  hand  and  my  foot  ne'er  rise  again ! 
Show  me  niggard  who  by  niggardise  e'er  rose  to  high  degree,  o  Or  the  generous 

in  gifts  generosity  hath  slain." 


1  Or,  "  Of  the  first  and  the  last,"  i.e.  Mohammed,  who  claimed  (and  claimed  justly) 
to  be  the  "Seal"  or  head  and  end  of  all  Prophets  and  Prophecy.  For  note  that 
whether  the  Arab  be  held  inspired  or  a  mere  impostor,  no  man  making  the  same 
pretension  has  moved  the  world  since  him.  Mr.  J.  Smith  the  Mormon  (to  mention  one 
in  a  myriad)  made  a  bold  attempt  and  failed. 

3  i.*.  flatterers. 


12  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

And  he  pursued, <f  Know,  O  Steward,  it  is  my  desire  that  so  long 
as  thou  hast  money  enough  for  my  breakfast,  thou  trouble  me  not 
with  taking  thought  about  my  supper.'*  Thereupon  the  Steward 
asked,  "Must  it  be  so?";  and  he  answered, "  It  must."  So  the 
honest  man  went  his  way  and  Nur  al-Din  AH  devoted  himself  to 
extravagance ;  and,  if  any  of  his  cup-companions  chanced  to  say, 
"  This  is  a  pretty  thing ;"  he  would  reply,  "  'Tis  a  gift  to  thee ! " ; 
or  if  another  said, "  O  my  lord,  such  a  house  is  handsome ; "  he 
would  answer,  "  Take  it :  it  is  thine !  "  After  this  reckless  fashion 
he  continued  to  live  for  a  whole  year,  giving  his  friends  a  banquet 
in  the  morning  and  a  banquet  in  the  evening  and  a  banquet  at 
midnight,  till  one  day,  as  the  company  was  sitting  together,  the 
damsel  Anis  al-Jalis  repeated  these  lines : 

Thpu  deemedst  well  of  Time  when  days  went  weH,  o  And  fea.edst  not  what 

ills  might  deal  thee  Fate: 
Thy  nights  so  fair  and  restful  cozened  thee,  o  For  peaceful  nights  bring  woes  ol 

heavy  weight 

When  she  had  ended  her  verse  behold,  somebody  knocked  at  the 
door.  So  Nur  al-Din  rose  to  open  it  and  one  of  his  boon-com- 
panions followed  him  without  being  perceived.  At  the  door  he 
found  his  Steward  and  asked  him,  "  What  is  the  matter  ? " ;  and 
he  answered,  "  O  my  lord,  what  I  dreaded  for  thee  hath  -come  to 
pass ! "  "  How  so  ? "  "  Know  that  there  remains  not  a  difhani's 
worth,  less  or  more  in  my  hands.  Here  are  my  Daftars  and 
account  books  showing  both  income  and  outlay  and  the  registers 
Of  thine  original  property."  When  Nur  al-Din  heard 'these  words 
he  bowed  his  head  and  said,  "  There  is  no  Majesty  and  there  is  no 
Might  save  in  Allah !  "  When  the  man  who  had  followed  him  privily 
to  spy  on  him  heard  the  Steward's  words,  he  returned  to  his  friends 
and  warned  them  saying,  "  Look  ye  well  to  what  ye  do:  Nur  al- 
Din  is  penniless  ; "  and,  as  the  young  host  came  back  to  his  guests, 
vexation  showed  itself  in  his  face.  Thereupon  one  of  the  intimates 
rose ;  and,  looking  at  the  entertainer,  said  to  him,  "  O  my  lord, 
may  be  thou  wilt  give  me  leave  to  retire  ? "  "  And  why  so  early 
retirement  this  day  ? ";  asked  he  and  the  other  answered  him, "  My 
wife  is  in  childbirth  and  I  may  not  be  absent  from  her :  indeed  I 
must  return  and  see  how  she  does."  So  he  gave  him  leave,  where- 
upon another  rose  and  said,  "O  my  lord  Nur  al-Din,  1  wish  now  to 


Nur  al-Din  All  and  the  Damsel  Axis  al-Jatis.      „     13 

go  to  my  brother's  for  he  circumciseth  his  son  to  day.**1  In  short 
each  and  every  asked  permission  to  retire  on  some  pretence  or 
other,  till  all  the  ten  were  gone  leaving  Nur  aUDin  aloae.  Then 
he  called  his  slave-girl  and  said  to  her,  "O  Anis  al-Jalis,  hast  thou 
seen  what  case  is  mine  ?"  And  he  related  to  her  what  the  Steward  ( 
had  told  him.  Then  quoth  she,  "O  my  lord,  for  many  nights  I  hadi 
it  in  my  mind  to  speak  with  thee  of  this  matter,  but  I  heard  thee 
repeating : — 

When  the  World  heaps  favours  on  thee,  pass  on  o  Thy  favours  to  friends  cw 

her  hand  she  stay : 
Largesse  never  let  her  when  fain  she  comes,  o  Nor  niggardise  kept  her  from 

turning  away ! 

"  When  I  heard  these  verses  I  held  my  peace  and  cared  not  to 
exchange  a  word  with  thee."  "  O  Anis  al-Jalis,"  said  Nur  al-Din, 
"thou  knowest  that  I  have  not  wasted  my  wealth  save  on  my 
friends,  especially  these  ten  who  have  now  left  me  a  pauper,  and  I 
think  they  will  not  abandon  and  desert  me  without  relief."  "  By 
Allah/'  replied  she,  "  they  will  not  profit  thee  with  aught  of  aid." 
Said  he,  "  I  will  rise  at  once  and  go  to  them  and  knock  at  their 
doors  ;  it  may  be  I  shall  get  from  them  somewhat  wherewith  I  may 
trade  and  leave  pastime  and  pleasuring."  So  he  rose  without  stay 
or  delay,  and  repaired  to  a  street  wherein  all  his  ten  friends  lived. 
He  went  up  to  the  nearest  door  and  knocked  ;  whereupon  a  hand- 
maid came  out  and  asked  him,  "Who  art  thou  ?";  and  he  answered, 
"  Tell  thy  master  that  Nur  al-Din  AH  standeth  at  the  door  and 
saith  to  him  : — Thy  slave  kisseth  thy  hand  and  awaiteth  thy 
bounty."  The  girl  went  in  and  told  her  master,  who  cried  at  her, 
"  Go  back  and  say : — My  master  is  not  at  home."  So  she  returned 
to  Nur  al-Din,  and  said  to  him,  "  O  my  lord,  my  master  is  out." 
Thereupon  he  turned  away  and  said  to  himself,  "  If  this  one  be  a 
whoreson  knave  and  deny  himself,  another  may  not  prove  himself 

•    "  \ 

1  In  one  matter  Moslems  contrast  strongly  with  Christians,  by  most  scrupulously 
following  the  example  of  their  law -giver:  hence  they  are  the  model  Conservatives. 
But  (European)  Christendom  is  here,  as  in  other  things,  curiously  contradictory  :  for 
instance,  it  still  keeps  a  '« Feast  of  the  Circumcision,"  and  practically  holds  circunv 
cision  in  horror.  Eastern  Christians,  however,  have  not  wholly  abolished  it,  and  the 
Abyssinians,  who  find  it  a  useful  hygienic  precaution,  still  practise  it.  For  ulcers, 
syphilis  and  other  venereals  which  are  readily  cured  in  Egypt  become  dangerous  in 
the  Highlands  of  Ethiopia. 


14  AlJ  Laylah  wa  Lay  la  h. 

such  knave  and  whoreson."  Then  he  went  up  to  the  next  door  and 
sent  in  a  like  message  to  the  house-master,  who  denied  himself  as 
the  first  had  done,  whereupon  he  began  repeating  :— 

He  is  gone  who  when  to  his  gate  thou  go'st,  o  Fed  thy  famisht  maw  with  his 
boiled  and  roast. 

When  he  had  ended  his  verse  he  said,  "  By  Allah,  there  is  no  help 
but  that  I  make  trial  of  them  all :  perchance  there  be  one  amongst 
them  who  will  stand  me  in  the  stead  of  all  the  rest."  So  he  went 
the  round  of  the  ten,  but  not  one  of  them  would  open  his  door  to 
him  or  show  himself  or  even  break  a  bit  of  bread  before  him  ;  where- 
upon he  recited  : — 

Like  a  tree  is  he  who  in  wealth  doth  wone,  o  And  while  fruits  he  the  folk  to 

his  fruit  shall  run : 
But  when  bared  the  tree  of  what  fruit  it  bare,  o  They  leave  it  to  suffer  from 

dust  and  sun. 
Perdition  to  all  of  this  age  !  I  find  o  Ten  rogues  for  every  righteous  one. 

Then  he  returned  to  his  slave-girl  and  his  grief  had  grown  more 
grievous  and  she  said  to  him,  "O  my  lord,  did  I  not  tell  thee,  none 
would  profit  thee  with  aught  of  aid  ?"  And  he  replied,  "  By  Allah, 
not  one  of  them  would  show  me  his  face  or  know  me !"  "O  my 
lord,"  quoth  she,  "  sell  some  of  the  moveables  and  household  stuff, 
such  as  pots  and  pans,  little  by  little  ;  and  expend  the  proceeds 
until  Allah  Almighty  shall  provide."  So  he  sold  all  of  that  was  in 
the  house  till  nothing  remained  when  he  turned  to  Anis  al-Jalis  and 
asked  her  "What  shall  we  do  now?";  and  she  answered,  "O  my 
lord,  it  is  my  advice  that  thou  rise  forthwith  and  take  me  down  to 
the  bazar  and  sell  me.  Thou  knowest  that  thy  father  bought  me 
for  ten  thousand  dinars  :  haply  Allah  may  open  thee  a  way  to  get 
the  same  price,  and  if  it  be  His  will  to  bring  us  once  more  together, 
we  shall  meet  again."  "O  Anis  al-Jalis,"  cried  he,  "by  Allah  it  is 
no  light  matter  for  me  to  be  parted  from  thee  for  a  single  hour ! " 
"  By  Allah,  O  my  lord,'*  she  replied,  nor  is  it  easy  to  me  either,  but 
Need  hath  its  own  law,  as  the  poet  said  : — 

Need  drives  a  man   into   devious  roads,   o  And  pathways  doubtful  of  trend 

and  scope: 
No  man  to  a  rope1  will  entrust  his  weight,  o   Save  for  cause  that  calleth  for 

case  of  rope. 


1  Arab.  "  Sabab,"  the  orig.  and  material  sense  of  the  word ;  hence  "  a  cause,"  etc. 


Nur  al-Din  All  and  the  Damsel  Anis  at- J alls.  15 

Thereupon  he  rose  to  his  feet  and  took  her,1  whilst  the  tears  rolled 
down  his  cheek  like  rain  ;  and  he  recited  with  the  tongue  of  the 
case  these  lines: — 

Stay !   grant  one  parting  look  before   we  part,  o    Nerving    my  heart    this 

severance  to  sustain : 
But,  an  this  parting  deal  thee  pain  and  bane,    o  Leave  me  to  die  of  love 

and  spare  thee  pain ! 

Then  he  went  down  with  her  to  the  bazar  and  delivered  her  to 
the  broker  and  said  to  him,  "  O  Hajj  Hasan,2  I  pray  thee  note 
the  value  of  her  thou  hast  to  cry  for  sale."  "  0  my  lord  Nur  al- 
Din,"  quoth  the  broker,  "the  fundamentals  are  remembered;"3 
adding,  "  Is  not  this  the  Anis  al-Jalis  whom  thy  father  bought 
of  me  for  ten  thousand  dinars  ?  "  "  Yes,"  said  Nur  al-Din.  There- 
upon the  broker  went  round  to  the  merchants,  but  found  that  all 
had  not  yet  assembled.  So  he  waited  till  the  rest  had  arrived 
and  the  market  was  crowded  with  slave-girls  of  all  nations,  Turks, 
Franks  and  Circassians  ;  Abyssinians,  Nubians  and  Takrurfs  ;4 
Tartars,  Georgians  and  others ;  when  he  came  forward  and  stand- 
ing cried  aloud,  "  O  merchants !  O  men  of  money !  every  round 
thing  is  not  a  walnut  and  every  long  thing  a  banana  is  not  ;  all 
reds  are  not  meat  nor  all  whites  fat,  nor  is  every  brown  thing  a 
date!5  O  merchants,  I  have  here  this  union-pearl  that  hath  no 
price  :  at  what  sum  shall  I  cry  her  ? "  "  Cry  her  at  four  thousand 
five  hundred  dinars,"  quoth  one  of  the  traders.  The  broker  opened 
the  door  of  sale  at  the  sum  named  and,  as  he  was  yet  calling,  lo ! 
the  Wazir  Al-Mu'in  bin  Sawi  passed  through  the  bazar  and, 
seeing  Nur  al-Din  Ali  waiting  at  one  side,  said  to  himself,  "Why 
is  Khakan's  son6  standing  about  here  ?  Hath  this  gallows-bird 
aught  remaining  wherewith  to  buy  slave-girls?"  Then  he  looked 

1  Thus  he  broke  his  promise  to  his  father,  and  it  is  insinuated  that  retribution  came 
upon  him. 

2  "  O  Pilgrim  "  (Ya  Hajj)  is  a  polite  address  even  to  those  who  have  not  pilgrimaged. 
The  feminine  "  Hajjah"  (in  Egypt  pronounced  "  Haggch"  is  similarly  used. 

3  Arab.  ustil  =  roots,  i.e.  I  have  not  forgotten  my  business. 

4  Moslems  from  Central  and  Western  North  Africa.     (Pilgrimage  i.  261  ;  iii.  7,  etc.); 
the  "  Jabarti  "  is  the  Moslem  Abyssinian. 

5  This  is  a  favourite  bit  of  chaff  and  is  to  be  lengthened  out  almost  indefinitely  e.g. 
'every  brown  thing  is  not  civet  nor  every  shining  thing  a  diamond  ;   every  black  thing 

)is  not  charcoal  nor  every  white  chalk  ;  every  red  thing  is  not  a  ruby  nor  every  yellow 
a  topaz  ;  every  long-necked  thing  is  not  a  camel,  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

6  He  gives  him  the  name  of  his  grandfather  ;  a  familiar  usage. 


1 6  Alf  L aylah  wa .  Laylak^ 

round  and,  seeing* the  broker  calling  out  in  the  market  with  all 
the  merchants  around  him,  said  to  himself,  "  I  am  sure  that  he  is 
penniless  and  hath  .brought  hither  the  damsel  Anis  al-Jalis  for 
sale  ; "  addirtg,  "  O  how  cooling  and  grateful  is  this  to  my  heart ! " 
Then  he  called  the  crier,  who  came  up  and  kissed  the  ground  before 
him  ;  and  h$  said  to  hijn,  "  I  want  this  slave-girl  whom  thou  art 
calling  for  sale."  The  broker  dared  not  cross  him,  so  he  answered, 
"  O  my  lord,  Bismillah  !  in  Allah's  name  so  be  it ; "  and  led  for- 
ward the  damsel  and  showed  her  to  him.  She  pleased  him  much 
•whereat  he  asked,  "O  Hasan,  what  is  bidden  for  this  girl  ?"  and 
he  answered,."  Four  thousand  five  hundred  dinars  to  open  the 
door  of  sale/' .  Quoth  Al-Mu'in,  "  Four  thousand  five  hundred 
is  wj^bid."  When  the  merchants  heard  this,  they  held  back 
and  dar£d  not  bid  another  dirham,  wotting  what  they  did  of  the 
Wazir's  tyranny,  violence  and  treachery.  So  Al-Mu'in  looked  at 
the  broker  and  said  to  him,  "  Why  stand  still  ?  Go  and  offer 
four  thousand  dinars  for  me  and  the  five  hundred  shall  be  for 
thyself."  Thereupon  the  broker  went  to  Nur  al-Din  and  said, 
"  O  my  lord,  thy  slave  is  going  for  nothing !  "  "And  how  so  ?  " 
asked  he.  The  broker  answered,  "  We  had  opened  the  biddings 
for  her  at  four  thousand  five  hundred  dinars;  when^that  tyrant, 
Al-Mu'in  bin  Sawi,  passed  through  the  bazar  and,  as  he  saw  the 
damsel  she  pleased  him,  so  he  cried  to  me : — Call  me  the  buyer 
at  four  thousand  dinars  and  thou  shalt  have  five  hundred  for 
thyself.  I  doubt  not  but  that  he  knoweth  that  the  damsel  is 
thine,  and  if  he  would  pay  thee  down  her  price  at  once  it  were 
well ;  but  I  know  his  injustice  and  violence  ;  he  will  give  thee 
a  written  order  upon  some  of  his  agents  and  will  send  after  thee 
to  say  to  them  : — Pay  him  nothing.  So  as  often  as  thou  shalt  go 
in  quest  of  the  coin  they  will  say : — We'irpay  thee  presently !  and 
they  will  put  thee  off  day  after  day,  and  thou  art  proud  of  spirit ; 
till  at  last,  when  they  are  wearied  with  thine  importunity,  they 
will  say :— Show  us  the  cheque.  Then,  as  soon  as  they  have  got 
hold  of  it  they  will  tear  it  up  and  so  thou  wilt  lose  the  girl's  price." 
When  Nur  al- Din  heard  this  he  looked  at  the  broker  and  asked 
him,  "  How  shall  this  matter  be  managed?";  and  he  answered, 
"  I  will. give  thee  a  counsel  which,  if  thou  follow,  it  shall  bring  thee 
complete  satisfaction."  .  "  And  what  is  that  ?"  quoth  Nur  al-Din." 
Quoth  the  broker,  "  Come  thou  tome  anon  when  I  am  standing 
in  the  middle  of  the  market  and,  taking  the  girl  from  my  hand, 
give  her  a  sound  cuffing  and  say  to  her  :— Thou  baggage,  I  have 


Nur  al-Di*  Ali  and  tke  Damsel  Anis  al-Jalts^  \J 

kept  my  vow  and  brought  thee  down  to  the  slave-market,  because 
I  swore  an  oath  that  I  would  carry  thee  from  home  to  the  bazar, 
and  make  brokers  cry  thee  for  sale.  If  thou  do  this,  perhaps  the 
device  will  impose"\ipon  the  Wazir  and  the  people,  and  they  will 
believe  that  thou  broughtest  her  not  to  the  bazar  but  for  the 
quittance  of  thine  oath."  He  replied,  "  Such^were  the  best  way." 
Then  the  broker  left  him  and,  returnjng  into  the  midst  of  the 
market,  took  the  damsel  by  the  hand,  and  signed  to  the  Wazir. 
and  said,  "  O  my  lord,  here  is  her  owner."  With  this  up  came^ 
Nur  al-Din  Ali  and,  snatching  the  girl  from  the  broker's  hand, 
cuffed  her  soundly  and  said  to  her,  "  Shame  on  thee,  O  thou 
baggage !  I  have  brought  thee  to  the  bazar  for  quittance  of  mine 
oath ;  now  get  thee  home  and  thwart  me  no  more  as  is  thy  wont. 
Woe  to  thee !  do  I  need  thy  price,  that  I  should  sell  thee  ?  The 
furniture  of  my  house  would  fetch  thy  value  many  times  over ! " 
When  Al-Mu'in  saw  this  he  said  to  Nur  al-Din,  4<  Out  on  thee  ! 
Hast  thou  anything  left  for  selling  or  buying  ? "  And  he  would 
have  laid  violent  hands  upon  him,  but  the  merchants  interposed 
(for  they  all  loved  Nur  al-Din),  and  the  young  man  said  to  them, 
"  Here  am  I  in  your  hands  and  ye  all  know  his  tyranny."  "  By 
Allah,"  cried  the  Wazir,'  "  but  for  you  I  had  slain  him  ! "  Then 
all  signed  with  significant  eyes  to  Nur  al-Din  as  much  as  to  say, 
"  Take  thy  wreak  of  him  ;  not  one  of  us  will  come  between  thee 
and  him."  Thereupon  Nur  al-Din,  who  was  stout  of  heart  as  he 
•was  stalwart  of  limb,  went  up  to  the  Wazir  and,  dragging  him  over 
the  pommel  of  his  saddle,  threw  him  to  the  ground.  Now  there 
was  in  that  place  a  puddling-pit  for  brick-clay,1  into  the  midst  of 
which  he  fell,  and  Nur  al-Din  kept  pummelling  and  fisti-cuffmg 
him,  and  one  of  the  blows  fell  full  on  his  teeth,  and  his  beard  was 
dyed  with  his  blood.  Also  there  were  with  the  minister  ten  armed 
slaves  who,  seeing  their  master  entreated  after  this  fashion,  laid 
hand  on  sword-hilt  and  would  have  bared  blades  and  fallen  on  , 
Nur  al-Din  to  cut  him  down  ;  but  the  merchants  and  bystanders  I 
said  to  them,  "  This  is  a  Wazir  and  that  is  the  son  of  a  Wazir ;  * 
haply  they  will  make  friends  some  time  or  other,  in  which  case  ; 
you  will  forfeit  the  favour  of  both.  Or  perchance  a  blow  may  . 
befal  your  lord,  and  you  will  all  die  the  vilest  of  deaths  ;  so  it 


1  Arab.  "  Ma'janah,"  a  place  for  making  unbaked  bricks  (Tob  ==  Span.  Adobe)  wirti 
chaff  and  bruised  or  charred  straw.  The  use  of  this  article  in  rainless  lands  dates  from 
ages  immemorial,  and  formed  the  outer  walls  of  the  Egyptian  temple* 

VOL.  H.  » 


18  A  If  Laylah  wa  Lay  la  k. 

were  better  for  you  not  to  interfere."  Accordingly  they  held  aloof 
and,  when  Nur  al-Din  had  made  an  end  of  thrashing  the  Wazir, 
he  took  his  handmaid  and  fared  homewards.  Al-Mu'in  also  went 
his  ways  at  once,  with  his  raiment  dyed  of  three  colours,  black  with 
mud,  red  with  blood  and  ash  coloured  with  brick-clay.  When  he 
saw  himself  in  this  state,  he  bound  a  bit  of  matting1  round  his 
neck  and,  taking  in  hand  two  bundles  of  coarse  Halfah-grass,2 
went  up  to  the  palace  and  standing  under  the  Sultan's  windows 
cried  aloud,  "  O  King  of  the  age,  I  am  a  wronged  man !  I  am 
foully  wronged  ! "  So  they  brought  him  before  the  King  who 
looked  at  him  ;  and  behold,  it  was  the  chief  Minister ;  whereupon 
he  said,  "  O  Wazir  who  did  this  deed  by  thee  ? "  Al-Mu'in  wept 
and  sobbed  and  repeated  these  lines  : — 

Shall  the  World  oppress  rne  when  thou  art  in't  ?  o  In  the  lion's  presence  shall 

wolves  devour  ? 
Shall  the  dry  all  drink  of  thy  tanks  and  I          o  Under  rain-cloud  thirst  for 

the  cooling  shower  ? 

"  O  my  lord,"  cried  he,  "  the  like  will  befal  every  one  who  loveth 
and  serveth  thee  well."  "  Be  quick  with  thee,"  quoth  the  Sultan, 
"  and  tell  me  how  this  came  to  pass  and  who  did  this  deed  by  one 
whose  honour  is  part  of  my  honour."  Quoth  the  Wazir,  "  Know,  O 
my  lord,  "  that  I  went  out  this  day  to  the  slave-market  to  buy  me 
a  cookmaid,  when  I  saw  there  a  damsel,  never  in  my  life  long 
saw  I  a  fairer  ;  and  I  designed  to  buy  her  for  our  lord  the  Sultan  ; 
so  I  asked  the  broker  of  her  and  of  her  owner,  and  he  answered, 
"  She  belongeth  to  Ali  son  of  Al-Fazl  bin  Khakan.  Some  time  ago 
our  lord  the  Sultan  gave  his  father  ten  thousand  dinars  wherewith 
to  buy  him  a  handsome  slave-girl,  and  he  bought  this  maiden  who 
pleased  him ;  so  he  grudged  her  to  our  lord  the  Sultan  and  gave 
her  to  his  own  son.  When  the  father  died,  the  son  sold  all  he  had 
of  houses  and  gardens  and  household  gear,  and  squandered  the 
price  till  he  was  penniless.  Then  he  brought  the  girl  to  the  market, 
that  he  might  sell  her,  and  he  handed  her  over  to  the  broker  to 
cry  and  the  merchants  bid  higher  and  higher  on  her,  until  her  price 


1  Arab.  "  Barsh,"  a  bit  of  round  matting  used   by  the  poor  as  a  seat.    The  Wazik 
thus  showed  that  he  had  been  degraded  to  the  condition  of  a  mat-maker. 

2  The  growth  (a  Pea  of  two  species)  which  named  Wady  Haifa  (vulg.  "Halfah"), 
of  which   the  home  public  has  of  late  heard  perhaps  a  trifle  too  much.      Burckhardt 
(Prov.  226)  renders  it  "dry  reeds  "—incorrectly  enough. 


Nur  al-Din  Ali  and  the  Damsel  Anis  a!- J alts.  19 

reached  four  thousand  dinars;  whereupon  quoth  I  to  myself: — I 
will  buy  this  damsel  for  our  lord  the  Sultan,  whose  money  was  paid 
for  her.  So  I  said  to  Nur  al-Din  :—  O  my  son,  sell  her  to  me  for 
four  thousand  dinars.  When  he  heard  my  words  he  looked  at  me 
and  cried : — O  ill-omened  oldster,  I  will  sell  her  to  a  Jew  or  to  a 
Nazarene,  but  I  will  not  sell  her  to  thee  !  I  do  not  buy  her  for 
myself,  said  I,  I  buy  her  for  our  lord  and  benefactor  the  Sultan. 
Hearing  my  words  he  was  filled  with  rage ;  and,  dragging  me  off 
my  horse  (and  I  a  very  old  man),  beat  me  unmercifully  with  his 
fists  and  buffeted  me  with  his  palms  till  he  left  me  as  thou  seest, 
and  all  this  hath  befallen  me  only  because  I  thought  to  buy  this 
damsel  for  thee !  "  Then  the  Wazir  threw  himself  on  the  ground 
and  lay  there  weeping  and  shivering.  When  the  Sultan  saw  his 
condition  and  heard  his  story,  the  vein  of  rage  started  out  between 
his  eyes1  and  he  turned  to  his  body-guard  who  stood  before  him, 
forty  white  slaves,  smiters  with  the  sword,  and  said  to  them,  "  Go 
down  forthright  to  the  house  built  by  the  son  of  Khakan  and  sack 
it  and  raze  it  and  bring  to  me  his  son  Nur  al-Din  with  the  damsel  ; 
and  drag  them  both  on  their  faces  with  their  arms  pinioned  behind 
them."  They  replied,  "  To  hear  is  to  obey  ; "  and,  arming  them- 
selves, they  set  out  for  the  house  of  Nur  al-Din  Ali.  Now  about 
the  Sultan  was  a  Chamberlain,  Alam2  al-Din  Sanjar  hight,  who 
had  aforetime  been  Mameluke  to  Al-Fazl  ;  but  he  had  risen  in 
the  world  and  the  Sultan  had  advanced  him  to  be  one  of  his 
Chamberlains.  When  he  heard  the  King's  command  and  saw 
the  enemies  make  them  ready  to  slay  his  old  master's  son,  it  was 
grievous  to  him  :  so  he  went  out  from  before  the  Sultan  and, 
mounting  his  beast,  rode  to  Nur  al-Din's  house  and  knocked  at 
the  door  Nur  al-Din  came  out  and  knowing  him  would  have 
saluted  him  :  but  he  said,  "  O  my  master  this  is  no  time  for 
greeting  or  treating.  Listen  to  what  the  poet  said  : — 

Fly,  fly  with  thy  life  if  by  ill  overtaken  ! 

Let  thy  house  speak  thy  death  by  its  builder  forsaken  ! 

For  a  land  else  than  this  land  thou  may'st  reach,  my  brother,  t  t 

But  thy  life  tho'lt  ne'er  find  in  this  world  another.3 

1  This  "Hashimi''  vein,  as  they  call  it,  was  an  abnormal  development  between  the 
eyes  of  the  house  of  Abbas,  inherited  from  the  great  grandfather  of  the  Prophet ;  and 
the  latter  had  it  remarkably  large,  swelling  in  anger  and  battle-rage.  The  text,  however, 
may  read  "  The  sweat  of  wrath,"  etc. 

2  Torrens  and  Payne  prefer  "  lira  "  =  knowledge.    Lane  has  more  correctly  "  AUm  * 
=  a  sign,  a  flag. 

3  The  lines  were  in  Night  xi :  I  have  quoted  Torrens  (p.  379)  for  a  change. 


eo  Alf  L'aylah  wa  Laylak. 

i 

"  O  Alam  al-Din  what  cheer  ? "  asked  Nur  al-Din,  and  he  answered, 
"  Rise  quickly  and  fly  for  thy  life,  thou  and  the  damsel ;  for 
Al-Mu'in  hath  set  a  snare  for  you  both ;  and,  if  you  fall  into  his 
hands,  he  will  slay  you.  The  Sultan  hath  despatched  forty  sworders 
against  you  and  I  counsel  you  to  flee  ere  harm  can  hurt  you. 
Then  Sanjar  put  his  hand  to  his  purse  and  finding  there  forty 
gold  pieces  took  them  and  gave  them  to  Nur  al-Din,  saying,  "  O 
my  lord  receive  these  and  journey  with  them.  Had  I  more  l 
would  give  them  to  thee,  but  this  is  not  the  time  to  take  ex- 
ception." Thereupon  Nur  al-Din  went  in  to  the  damsel  and  tola 
her  what  had  happened,  at  which  she  wrung  her  hands.  Then  they 
fared  forth  at  once  from  the  city,  and  Allah  spread  over  them  His 
veil  of  protection,  so  that  they  reached  the  river-bank  where  they 
found  a  vessel  ready  for  sea.  Her  skipper  was  standing  amidships 
and  crying,  "  Whoso  hath  aught  to  do,  whether  in  the  way  of  pro- 
visioning or  taking  leave  of  his  people  ;  or  whoso  hath  forgotten 
any  needful  thing,  let  him  do  it  at  once  and  return,  for  we  are 
about  to  sail "  ;  and  all  of  them  saying,  "  There  is  naught  left  to 
be  done  by  us,  O  captain  !  ",  he  cried  to  his  crew,  "  Hallo  there  ! 
cast  off  the  cable  and  pull  up  the  mooring-pole !  "l  Quoth  Nur 
al-Din,  "  Whither  bound,  O  captain  ? "  and  quoth  he,  "  To  the 
House  of  Peace,  Baghdad, "- — And  Shahrazad  perceived  the 
dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


Koto  tofjen  ft  foas  tfje 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  the 
skipper  answered,  "To  the  House  of  Peace,  Baghdad,"  Nur 
al-Din  Ali  and  the  damsel  went  on  board,  and  they  launched  the 
craft  and  shook  out  the  sails,  and  the  ship  sped  forth  as  though 
she  were  a  bird  on  wing ;  even  as  said  one  of  them  and  said  right 
well  :— 

Watch  some  tall  ship,  she'll  joy  the  sight  of  thee,  o  The  breeze  outstripping  in 

her  haste  to  flee  ; 
As  when  a  bird,  with  widely-spreading  wings,  o  Leaveth  the  sky  to  settle 

on  the  sea. 


1  Still  customary  in  Tigris-Euphrates  land,  where  sea-craft  has   not  changed  since 
the  days  of  Xisisthrus-Noah,  and  long  before. 


Nur  al-Din  Ali  and  the  Damsel  An  is  al~JaJi&  2\ 

So  the  vessel  sailed  on  her  fastest  and  the  wind  to  her  was  fairest 
Thus  far  concerning  them  ;  but  as  regards  the  Mamelukes,  they 
went  to  Nur  al-Din's  mansion  and,  breaking  open  the  doors,  entered 
and  searched  the  whole  place,  but  could  find  no  trace  of  him  and 
the  damsel ;  so  they  demolished  the  house  and,  returning  to  the 
Sultan,  reported  their  proceedings ;  whereupon  quoth  he,  "  Make 
search  for  them  both,  wherever  they  may  be  ; "  and  they  answered, 
"  Hearing  is  obeying."  The  Wazir  Al-Mu'in  had  also  gone  home 
after  the  Sultan  had  bestowed  upon  him  a  robe  of  honour,  and  had 
set  his  heart  at  rest  by  saying,  "  None  shall  take  blood-wreak  for 
thee  save  I ;  "  and  he  had  blessed  the  King  and  prayed  for  his  long 
life  and  prosperity.  Then  the  Sultan  bade  proclaim  about  the 
city,  "  Oyez,  O  ye  lieges  one  and  all !  It  is  the  will  of  our  lord 
the  Sultan  that  whoso  happeneth  on  Nur  al-Din  Ali  son  of  Al- 
Fazl  bin  Khakan,  and  bringeth  him  to  the  Sultan,  shall  receive  a 
robe  of  honour  and  one  thousand  gold  pieces  ;  and  he  who  hideth 
him  or  knoweth  his  abiding  place  and  informeth  not,  deserveth 
whatsoever  pains  and  penalties  shall  befal  him."  So  all  began  to- 
search  for  Nur  al-Din  Ali,  but  they  could  find  neither  trace  nor 
tidings  of  him.  Meanwhile  he  and  his  handmaid  sailed  on  with 
the  wind  right  aft;  till  they  arrived  in  safety  at  Baghdad,  and  the 
captain  said  to  them,  "This  is  Baghdad  and  'tis  the  city  where 
security  is  to  be  had  :  Winter  with  his  frosts  hath  turned  away  and 
Prime  hath  come  his  roses  to  display  ;  and  the  flowers  are  a-glowing 
and  the  trees  are  blowing  and  the  streams  are  flowing."  So  Nur 
al-Din  landed,  he  and  his  handmaid  and,  giving  the  captain  five 
dinars,  walked  on  a  little  way  till  the  decrees  of  Destiny  brought 
them  among  the  gardens,  and  they  came  to  a  place  swept  and 
sprinkled,  with  benches  along  the  walls  and  hanging  jars  filled  with 
water.1  Overhead  was  a  trellis  of  reed-work  and  canes  shading  the 
whole  length  of  the  avenue,  and  at  the  upper  end  was  a  garden 
gate,  but  this  was  locked.  "  By  Allah,"  quoth  Nur  al-Din  to  the 
damsel,  "  right  pleasant  is  this  place  !  " ;  and  she  replied,  "  O  my 
lord  sit  with  me  a  while  on  this  bench  and  let  us  take  our  ease." 
So  they  mounted  and  sat  them  down  on  the  bench,  after  which 
they  washed  their  faces  and  hands;  and  the  breeze  blew  cool  on 
them  and  they  fell  asleep  and  glory  be  to  Him  who  never sleepeth ! 


1  To  cool  the  contents. 


22  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

Now  this  garden  was  named  the  Garden  of  Gladness1  and  therein 
stood  a  belvedere  hight  the  Palace  of  Pleasure  and  the  Pavilion  of 
Pictures,  the  whole  belonging  to  the  Caliph  Hartm  al-Rashid  who 
was  wont,  when  his  breast  was  straitened  with  care,  to  frequent 
garden  and  palace  and  there  to  sit.  The  palace  had  eighty  latticed 
windows  and  fourscore  lamps  hanging  round  a  great  candelabrum 
of  gold  furnished  with  wax-candles ;  and,  when  the  Caliph  used  to 
enter,  he  would  order  the  handmaids  to  throw  open  the  lattices 
and  light  up  the  rooms  ;  and  he  would  bid  Ishak  bin  Ibrahim  the 
cup-companion  and  the  slave-girls  to  sing  till  his  breast  was 
broadened  and  his  ailments  were  allayed.  Now  the  keeper  of  the 
garden,  Shaykh  Ibrahim,  was  a  very  old  man,  and  he  had  found 
from  time  to  time,  when  he  went  out  on  any  business,  people 
pleasuring  about  the  garden  gate  with  their  bona  robas  ;  at  which 
he  was  angered  with  exceeding  anger.2  But  he  took  patience  till 
one  day  when  the  Caliph  came  to  his  garden  ;  and  he  complained 
of  this  to  Harun  al-Rashid  who  said,  "  Whomsoever  thou  surprisest 
about  the  door  of  the  garden,  deal  with  him  as  thou  wilt."  Now 
on  this  day  the  Gardener  chanced  to  be  abroad  on  some  occasion 
and  returning  found  these  two  sleeping  at  the  gate  covered  with  a 
single  mantilla  ;  whereupon  said  he,  "  By  Allah,  good  !  These 
twain  know  not  that  the  Caliph  hath  given  me  leave  to  slay  any- 
one I  may  catch  at  the  door ;  but  I  will  give  this  couple  a  shrewd 
•whipping,  that  none  may  come  near  the  gate  in  future."  So  he  cut 
a  green  palm-frond3  and  went  up  to  them  and,  raising  his  arm  till 
the  white  of  his  arm-pit  appeared,  was  about  to  strike  them,  when 
he  bethought  himself  and  said,  "O  Ibrahim,  wilt  thou  beat  them 
unknowing  their  case  ?  Haply  they  are  strangers  or  of  the  Sons 


1  Hence  the  Khedivial  Palace  near  Cairo  "  Kasr  al-Nuzhah  ;"  literally  "  of  Delights ; " 
one  of  those  flimsy  new-Cairo  buildings  which  contrast  so  marvellously  with  the  archi- 
tecture of  ancient  and  even  of  mediaeval  Egypt,  and  which  are  covering  the  land  with 
modern  ruins.  Compare  Mohammed  Ali's  mosque  in  the  citadel  with  the  older  Sultan 
Hasan.  A  popular  tale  is  told  that,  when  the  conquering  Turk,  Yawviz  Sultan  Selim, 
first  visited  Cairo,  they  led  him  to  Mosque  Al-Ghun.  "This  is  a  splendid  Kd'ah 
(saloon)  1 "  quoth  he.  When  he  entered  Sultan  Hasan,  he  exclaimed,  "  This  is  a 
citadel!";  but  after  inspecting  the  Mosque  Al-Mu'ayyad  he  cried,  "  'Tis  a  veritable 
place  of  prayer,  a  fit  stead  for  the  Faithful  to  adore  the  Eternal !  " 

8  Arab,  gardeners  are  very  touchy  on  this  point.  A  friend  of  mine  was  on  a  similar 
occasion  addressed,  in  true  Egyptian  lingo,  by  an  old  Adam-son,  "  Ya  ibn  al-Kalb!  be- 
ta'mil  ay  ?  "  (O  dog-son,  what  art  thou  up  to  ?). 

3  "The  green  palm-stick  is  of  the  trees  of  Paradise;"  say  the  Arabs  in  Solomonic 
•tyle  but  not  Solomonic  words  :  so  our  "  Spare  the  rod,*' jetc. 


Nur  a!- Din  Alt  and  the  Damsel  An  is  al-Jalis.  23 

of  the  Road,1  and  the  decrees  of  Destiny  have  thrown  them  here. 
I  will  uncover  their  faces  and  look  at  them."  So  he  lifted  up  the 
mantilla  from  their  heads  and  said, "  They  are  a  handsome  couple  ; 
it  were  not  fitting  that  I  should  beat  them."  Then  he  covered  their 
faces  again  and,  going  to  Nur  al-Din's  feet,  began  to  rub  andt 
shampoo  them,2  whereupon  the  youth  opened  his  eyes  and,  seeing! 
an  old  man  of  grave  and  reverend  aspect  rubbing  his  feet,  he  was^i 
ashamed  and  drawing  them  in,  sat  up.  Then  he  took  Shaykh 
Ibrahim's  hand  and  kissed  it,  Quoth  the  old  man,  "  O  my  son, 
whence  art  thou  ? "  ;  and  quoth  he,  "  O  my  lord,  we  two  are 
strangers,"  and  the  tears  started  from  his  eyes.  "  O  my  son,"  said 
Shaykh  Ibrahim,  "  know  that  the  Prophet  (whom  Allah  bless  and 
preserve  !)  hath  enjoined  honour  to  the  stranger  ;"  and  added, "  Wilt 
not  thou  arise,  O  my  son,  and  pass  into  the  garden  and  solace  thy 
self  by  looking  at  it  and  gladden  thy  heart  ?  "  "  O  my  lord,"  said 
Nur  al-Din,  "to  whom  doth  this  garden  belong? ;"  and  the  other 
replied,  "  O  my  son,  I  have  inherited  it  from  my  folk."  Now  his 
object  in  saying  this  was  to  set  them  at  their  ease  and  induce 
them  to  enter  the  garden.  So  Nur  al-Din  thanked  him  and  rose, 
he  and  the  damsel,  and  followed  him  into  the  garden  ;  and  lo !  it 
was  a  garden,  and  what  a  garden  !  The  gate  was  arched  like  a 
great  hall  and  over  walls  and  roof  ramped  vines  with  grapes  of 
many  colours  ;  the  red  like  rubies  and  the  black  like  ebonies ;  and 
beyond  it  lay  a  bower  of  trelliced  boughs  growing  fruits  single  and 
composite,  and  small  birds  on  branches  sang  with  melodious 
recite,  and  the  thousand-noted  nightingale  shrilled  with  her  varied 
shright ;  the  turtle  with  her  cooing  filled  the  site ;  the  blackbird 
whistled  like  human  wight3  and  the  ring-dove  moaned  like  a 
drinker  in  grievous  plight.  The  trees  grew  in  perfection  all  edible 
growths  and  fruited  all  manner  fruits  which  in  pairs  were  bipartite; 
with  the  camphor-apricot,  the  almond-apricot  and  the  apricot 
"  Khorasani  "  hight ;  the  plum,  like  the  face  of  beauty,  smooth  and 

1  Wayfarers,  travellers  who  have  a  claim  on  the  kindness  of  those  at  home  :  hence 
Abd  al-Rahman  al-Burai  sings  in  his  famous  Ode  : — 

He  hath  claim  on  the  dwellers  in  the  places  of  their  birth, 
Whoso  wandereth  the  world,  for  he  Jacket h  him  a  home. 

It  is  given  in  my  "  First  Footsteps  in  East  Africa"  (pp.  53-55). 

2  The  good  old  man  treated  the  youth  like  a  tired  child. 

3  In  Moslem  writings  the  dove  and  turtle-dove  are  mostly  feminine,  whereas  the  femalt 
bird  is  always  mute  and  only  the  male  sings  to  summon  or  to  amuse  his  mate. 


24  Alf  LaylaJi  toa  Lay  la  k. 

bright ;  the  cherry  that  makes  teeth  shine  clear  by  her  sleight,  and 
the  fig  of  three  colours,  green,  purple  and  white.  There  also 
blossomed  the  violet  as  it  were  sulphur  on  fire  by  night ;  the 
orange  with  buds  like  pink  coral  and  marguerite ;  the  rose  whose 
redness  gars  the  loveliest  cheeks  blush  with  despight ;  and  myrtle 
and  gilliflower  and  lavender  with  the  blood-red  anemone  from 
Nu-'uman  hight.  The  leaves  were  all  gemmed  with  tears  the 
clouds  had  dight ;  the  chamomile  smiled  showing  teeth  that  bite, 
and  Narcissus  with  his  negro *  eyes  fixed  on  Rose  his  sight ;  the 
citrons  shone  with  fruits  embowled  and  the  lemons  like  balls  of 
gold ;  earth  was  carpeted  with  flowers  tinctured  infinite ;  for 
Spring  was  come  brightening  the  place  with  joy  and  delight ; 
and  the  streams  ran  ringing,  to  the  birds*  gay  singing,  while  the 
rustling  breeze  upspringing  attempered  the  air  to  temperance 
exquisite.  Shaykh  Ibrahim  carried  them  up  into  the  pavilion, 
and  they  gazed  on  its  beauty,  and  on  the  lamps  aforemen- 
tioned in  the  latticed  windows;  and  Nur  al-Din,  remembering 
his  entertainments  of  time  past,  cried,  "  By  Allah,  this  is  a  pleasant 
place ;  it  hath  quenched  in  me  anguish  which  burned  as  a  fire 
of  Ghaza-wood.2  "  Then  they  sat  down  and  Shaykh  Ibrahim  set 
food  before  them  ;  and  they  ate  till  they  were  satisfied  and  washed 
their  hands  :  after  which  Nur  al-Din  went  up  to  one  of  the  latticed 
windows,  and,  calling  to  his  handmaid  fell  to  gazing  on  the  trees 
laden  with  all  manner  fruits.  Presently  he  turned  to  the  Gardener 
and  said  to  him,  "  O  Shaykh  Ibrahim  hast  thou  no  drink  here,  for 
folk  are  wont  to  drink  after  eating  ? "  The  Shaykh  brought  him 
sweet  water,  cool  and  pleasant,  but  he  said,  "  This  is  not  the  kind 
of  drink  I  wanted."  "  Perchance  thou  wishest  for  wine  ? "  "  Indeed 
I  do,  O  Shaykh ! "  "I  seek  refuge  from  it  with  Allah :  it  is  thir- 
teen years  since  I  did  this  thing,  for  the  Prophet  (Abhak 3)  cursed 


1  An  unsavoury  comparison  of  the  classical  Narcissus  with  the  yellow  white  of  a 
nigger's  eyes. 

3  A  tree  whose  coals  burn  with  fierce  heat :  Al-Hariri  (Vth  Seance).  This  Artemisia 
is  like  the  tamarisk  but  a  smaller  growth  and  is  held  to  be  a  characteristic  of  the 
Arabian  Desert.  A  Badawi  always  hails  with  pleasure  the  first  sight  of  the  Ghaza",  after 
he  has  sojourned  for  time  away  from  his  wilds.  Mr.  Palgrave  (i.  38)  describes  the 
"Ghada"  as  an  Euphorbia  with  a  woody  stem  often  5-6  feet  high  and  slender  flexible 
green  twigs  (?),  "  forming  a  feathery  tuft,  not  ungraceful  (o  the  eye,  while  it  affords  some 
shelter  to  the  traveller,  and  food  to  his  camels." 

3  Arab.  Sal'am  =  S(alla)  A(llah)  a(Iayhi)  wa  S(allam) ;  A(llah)  b(less)  h(im)  a(nd) 
k(eep)  =  Allah  keep  him  and  assain  ! 


Nur  al-Din  AH  and  the  Damsel  Ants  at- Jolts.       ~     a$ 

its  drinker,  presser,  seller  and  carrier!."  "Hear  two  words~of 
me."  "Say  on."  "If  yon  cursed  ass1  which  standeth  there  be 
cursed,  will  aught  of  his  curse  alight  upon  thee?"  "By  no 
means!"  "Then  take  this  dinar  and  these  two  dirhams  and 
mount  yonder  ass  and,  halting  afar  from  the  wine-shop,  call  the  first 
man  thou  seest  buying  liquor  and  say  to  him : — Take  these  two 
dirhams  for  thyself,  and  with  this  dinar  buy  me  some  wine  and  set 
it  on  the  ass.  So  shalt  thou  be  neither  the  presser,  nor  the  buyer, 
nor  the  carrier  ;  and  no  part  of  the  curse  will  fall  upon  thee  "  At 
this  Shaykh  Ibrahim  laughed  and  said,  "  By  Allah,  O  my  son,  I 
[never  saw  one  wilier  of  wit  than  thou  art,  nor  heard  aught  sweeter 
than  thy  speech."  So  he  did  as  he  was  bidden  by  Nur  al-Din  who 
thanked  him  and  said,  "  We  twq*are  now  dependent  on  thee,  and 
it  is  only  meet  that  thou  comply  with  our  wishes;  so  bring  us 
here  what  we  require."  "  O  my  son,"  replied  he,  "  this  is  my 
buttery  before  thee"  (and  it  was  the  store-room  provided  for  the 
Commander  of  the  Faithful) ;  "  so  go  in,  and  take  whatso  thou 
wilt,  for  there  is  over  and  above  what  thou  wantesf."  Nur  al- 
Din  then  entered  the  pantry  and  found  therein  vessels  of  gold  and 
silver  and  crystal  set  with  all  kinds  of  gems,  and  was  amazed  and 
delighted  with  what  he  saw.  Then  he  took  out  what  he  needed 
and  set  it  on  and  poured  the  wine  into  flagons  and  glass  ewers, 
whilst  Shaykh  Ibrahim  brought  them  fruit  and  flowers  and  aro- 
matic herbs.  Then  the  old  man  withdrew  and  sat  down  at  a 
distance  from  them,  whilst  they  drank  and  made  merry,  till  the 
wine  got  the  better  of  them,  so  that  their  cheeks  reddened  and 
their  eyes  wantoned  like  the  gazelle's;  and  their  locks  became 
dishevelled  and  their  brightness  became  yet  more  beautiful.  Then 
said  Shaykh  Ibrahim  to  himself,  "  What  aileth  me  to  sit  .apart 
from  them  ?  Why  should  I  not  sit  with  them  ?  When  shall  I 
ever  find  myself  in  company  with  the  like  of  these  two  that  favour 
two  moons  ? "  So  he  stepped  forward  and  sat  down  on  the  edge 
of  the  dais,  and  Nur  al-Din  said  to  him,  "  O  my  lord,  my  life  on 
thee,  come  nearer  to  us ! "  He  came  and  sat  by  them,  when 


1  The  ass  is  held  to  be  ill-omened.  I  have  noticed  the  braying  elsewhere.  According 
to  Mandeville  the  Devil  did  not  enter  the  Ark  with  the  Ass,  but  he  left  it  when  Noah 
said  "  Benedicite."  In  his  day  (A.D.  1322)  and  in  that  of  Benjamin  of  Tudela,  people 
had  seen  and  touched  the  ship  on  Ararat,  the  Judi  (Gordieei)  mountains;  and  this  dates 
from  Berosus  (S.C.  250)  who,  of  course,  refers  to  the  Ark  of  Xisisthrus.  S««  Josephus 
Ant.  i.  3,  6;  and  Rodwell  (Koran,  pp.  65,  530). 


26  A  If  Lay  la  k  wa  Laylah. 

Nur  al-Din  filled  a  cup  and  looked  towards  the  Shaykh  and  said 
to  him,  "  Drink,  that  thou  mayest  try  the  taste  of  it ! "  I  take 
refuge  from  it  with  Allah ! "  replied  he;  "  for  thirteen  years  I  have 
not  done  a  thing  of  the  kind."  Nur  al-Din  feigned  to  forget  he 
was  there  and,  drinking  off  the  cup,  threw  himself  on  the  ground 
as  if  the  drink  had  overcome  him  ;  whereupon  Anis  al-Jalis 
glanced  at  him  and  said,  "  O  Shaykh  Ibrahim  see  how  this  hus- 
band of  mine  treateth  me  ;"  and  he  answered,  "O  my  lady,  what 
aileth  him  ?  "  "  This  is  how  he  always  serveth  me,"  cried  she,  "  he 
drinketh  awhile,  then  falleth  asleep  and  leaveth  me  alone  with  none 
to  bear  me  company  over  my  cup  nor  any  to  whom  I  may  sing 
when  the  bowl  goeth  round."  Quoth  the  Shaykh  (and  his  mien 
unstifTened  for  that  his  soul  inclined  towards  her),  "  By  Allah,  this 
is  not  well !  "  Then  she  crowned  a  cup  and  looking  towards  him 
said,  "  By  my  life  thou  must  take  and  drink  it,  and  not  refuse  to 
heal  my  sick  heart ! "  So  he  put  forth  his  hand  and  took  it  and 
drank  it  off  and  she  filled  a  second  and  set  it  on  the  chandelier 
and  said,  "  O  master  mine,  there  is  still  this  one  left  for  thee." 
"  By  Allah,  I  cannot  drink  it ; "  cried  he,  "  what  I  have  already 
drunk  is  enough  for  me;"  but  she  rejoined,  "By  Allah,  there  is 
no  help  for  it."  So  he  took  the  cup  and  drank  ;  and  she  filled 
him  a  third  which  he  took  and  was  about  to  drink  when  behold, 
Nur  al-Din  rolled  round  and  sat  upright And  Shahrazad  per- 
ceived the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 

Nofo  foljen  it  foas  tfje  TOrtg-sebEntf)  jtfig&t, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Nur  al- 
Din  sat  upright  and  said,  "  Ho,  Shaykh  Ibrahim,  what  is  this  ? 
Did  I  not  adjure  thee  a  while  ago  and  thou  refusedst,  saying : — 
What,  I !  'tis  thirteen  years  ago  since  I  have  done  such  a  thing!" 
"  By  Allah,"  quoth  the  Shaykh  (and  indeed  he  was  abashed),  "  no 
sin  of  mine  this,  she  forced  me  to  do  it."  Nur  al-Din  laughed 
and  they  sat  down  again  to  wine  and  wassail,  but  the  damsel 
turned  to  her  master  and  said  in  a  whisper,  "  O  my  lord,  drink 
and  do  not  press  him,  that  I  may  show  thee  some  sport  with 
him."  Then  she  began  to  fill  her  master's  cup  and  he  hers  and 
so  they  did  time  after  time,  till  at  last  Shaykh  Ibrahim  looked 
at  them  and  said,  "What  fashion  of  good  fellowship  is  this  ? 
Allah  curse  the  glutton  who  keepeth  the  cup  to  himself!  Why 
dost  thou  not  give  me  to  drink,  O  my  brother?  What  manners 


Nur  al-Din  AH  and  the  Damsel  Ants  al-Jalis.  27 

are  these,  O  blessed  one?"  At  this  the  two  laughed  until  they 
fell  on  their  backs  ;  then  they  drank  and  gave  him  to  drink  and 
ceased  not  their  carousal  till  a  third  part  of  the  night  was  past. 
Then  said  the  damsel,  "  O  Shaykh  Ibrahim,  with  thy  leave  I  will 
get  up  and  light  one  of  these  candles."  "  Do  so,"  he  replied,  "  but 
light  no  more  than  one."  So  she  sprang  to  her  feet  and,  begin- 
ning with  one  candle,  lighted  all  the  eighty  and  sat  down  again. 
Presently  Nur  al-Din  said,  "  O  Shaykh  Ibrahim,  in  what  favour  am 
I  with  thee  ?  May  I  not  light  one  of  these  lamps  ? "  "  Light 
one,"  replied  he,  "  and  bother  me  no  more  in  thy  turn  ! "  So 
he  rose  and  lighted  one  lamp  after  another,  till  he  had  lighted 
the  whole  eighty  and  the  palace  seemed  to  dance  with  brilliancy. 
Quoth  the  Shaykh  (and  indeed  intoxication  had  overcome  him), 
"  Ye  two  are  bolder  than  I  am."  Then  he  rose  to  his  feet  and 
opened  all  the  lattices  and  sat  down  again ;  and  they  fell  to 
carousing  and  reciting  verses  till  the  place  rang  with  their  noisy 
mirth.  Now  Allah,  the  Decreer  who  decreeth  all  things  and  who 
for  every  effect  appointeth  a  cause,  had  so  disposed  that  the  Caliph 
was  at  that  moment  sitting  in  the  light  of  the  moon  at  one  of  the 
windows  of  his  palace  overlooking  the  Tigris.  He  saw  the  blaze 
of  the  lamps  and  wax  candles  reflected  in  the  river  and,  lifting  his 
eyes,  perceived  that  it  came  from  the  Garden  Palace  which  was  all 
ablaze  with  brilliancy.  So  he  cried,  "  Here  to  me  with  Ja'afar  the 
Barmaki!";  and  the  last  word  was  hardly  spoken  ere  the  Wazir 
•was  present  before  the  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  who  cried  at 
him,  "  O  dog  of  a  Minister,  hast  thou  taken  from  me  this  city  of 
Baghdad  without  saying  aught  to  me  ? "  "  What  words  are  these 
words  ?  "  asked  Ja'afar  ;  and  the  Caliph  answered,  "  If  Baghdad 
city  were  not  taken  from  me,  the  Palace  of  Pictures  would  not  be 
illuminated  with  lamps  and  candles,  nor  would  its  windows  be 
thrown  open.  Woe  to  thee !  who  durst  do  a  deed  like  this  except 
the  Caliphate  had  been  taken  from  me?"  Quoth  Ja'afar  (and 
indeed  his  side-muscles  trembled  as  he  spoke),  "  Who  told  thee 
that  the  Palace  of  Pictures  was  illuminated  and  the  windows 
thrown  open  ?  "  "  Come  hither  and  see,"  replied  the  Caliph.  Then 
Ja'afar  came  close  to  the  Caliph  and,  looking  towards  the  garden, 
saw  the  palace  blazing  with  illumination  that  rayed  through  the 
gloom  of  the  night ;  and,  thinking  that  this  might  have  been  per- 
mitted by  the  keeper  for  some  reason  of  his  own,  he  wished  to 
make  an  excuse  for  him  ;  so  quoth  he,  "  O  Commander  of  the 
Faithful,  Shaykh  Ibrahim  said  to  me  last  week :—  O  my  lord 


> 


.".  -     .  -" 


Nur  al- Din  Ali  and  the  Damsel  Ants  *Jalis.  29 

tali  walnut-tree,  said  to  Ja'afar,  "  I  will  climb  tis  tree,  for  its 
branches  are  near  the  lattices  and  so  look  in  upon  lem."     There- 
upon he  mounted  the  tree  and  ceased  not  climbingrom  branch  to 
ich,  till  he  reached  a  bough  which  was  right  pposite  one  of 
windows,  and  here  he  took  seat  and  looked  in:de  the  palace. 
saw  a  damsel  and  a  youth  as  they  were  two  moos  (glory  be  to 
id  them  and  fashioned  them  !),and  bthem  Shaykh 
ip  in  hand  and  saying,  "  O  Princes  of  fair  ones, 
music  is  nothing  worth  ;  indeed    have  heard  a 

the  bowl  and  cup,  o  Take  either  tat  moon  '  in  his 
for  oft  I've  seen,       o  The  horse  dnk   best  to  the 

this,  the  vein  of  wrath  stand  up  between 
i  down  and  said  to  the  Wa;r,  "  O  Ja'afar, 
en  of  piety  in  such  case ;  so  o  thou  mount 
i  them,  lest  the  blessings  c  the  blest  be 
ig  the  words  of  the  Conmander  of  the 
bunded  by  them,  climbed  3  the  tree-top 
,1-Din  and  the  damsel,  andShaykh  Ibra- 
;   brimming  bowl.      At  his   sight   he 
scending,  stood  before  tb  Commander 
>  him,  "  O  Ja'afar,  praie  be  to  Allah 
e  that  observe  external  ordinances  of 
rom  us  the  sin  of  disgiuing  ourselves 
" 2     But  Ja'afar  couk  not  speak  a 
;  so  the  Caliph  looke  at  him  and 
ame  hither,  and  who  Emitted  them 
t  like  the  beauty  of  tls  youth  and 
t  saw  ! "     "  Thou  sayestsooth,  O  our 
.'afar  (and  he  hoped  to  >ropitiate  the 
^hen  quoth  the  Caliph,  '0  Ja'afar,  let 
ch  opposite  the  window,  hat  we  may 


boy  or  cup-bearer.     "  Moon-faced,"  as  I  have  sb\vn  elsewhere,  is 
ment  in  English,  but  it  is  in  Persian  and  Arabic. 

leans  we  are  "  Zahiri,"  plain  honest  Moslems,  not  "  Bdtini   gnostics    (««g& 

bates)  and  so  forth,  who  disregard  all  appearances  and  external  dinances.     Tte« 

as  opinion  of  Shaykh   Ibrahim   and   possibly  refers   to  Jafar's  suspected 


28  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

Ja'afar,  I  much  wish  to  circumcise  my  sons  during  the  life  of  the 
Commander  of  the  Faithful  and  thy  life.  I  asked  : — What  dost 
thou  want  ? ;  and  he  answered  : — Get  me  leave  from  the  Caliph  to 
hold  the  festival  in  the  Garden  Palace.  So  said  I  to  him : — Go 
i  circumcise  them  and  I  will  see  the  Caliph  and  tell  him.  There- 
1  upon  he  went  away  and  I  forgot  to  let  thee  know."  "  O  Ja'afar," 
said  the  Caliph,  "thou  hast  committed  two  offences  against  me;  first 
in  that  thou  didst  not  report  to  me,  secondly,  thou  didst  not  give 
him  what  he  sought ;  for  he  came  and  told  thee  this  only  as  excuse 
to  ask  for  some  small  matter  of  money,  to  help  him  with  the  out- 
lay ;  and  thou  gavest  him  nothing  nor  toldest  me."  "  O  Com- 
mander of  the  Faithful,"  said  Ja'afar,  "  I  forgot"  "  Now  by  the 
rights  of  my  forefathers  and  the  tombs  of  my  forbears,"  quoth  the 
Caliph,  "  I  will  not  pass  the  rest  of  this  night  save  in  company 
with  him  ;  for  truly  he  is  a  pious  man  who  frequenteth  the  Elders 
of  the  Faith  and  the  Fakirs  and  other  religious  mendicants  and 
entertaineth  them  ;  doubtless  they  are  now  assembled  together 
and  it  may  be  that  the  prayer  of  one  of  them  will  work  us  weal 
both  in  this  world  and  in  the  next.  Besides,  my  presence  may 
profit  and  at  any  rate  be  pleasing  to  Shaykh  Ibrahim."  "  O  Com- 
mander of  the  Faithful,"  quoth  Ja'afar,  "  the  greater  part  of  the 
night  is  passed,  and  at  this  time  they  will  be  breaking  up."  Quoth 
the  Caliph,  "  It  matters  not :  I  needs  must  go  to  them."  So 
Ja'afar  held  his  peace,  being  bewildered  and  knowing  not  what 
to  do.  Then  the  Caliph  rose  to  his  feet  and,  taking  with  him 
Ja'afar  and  Masrur  the  eunuch  sworder,  the  three  disguised  them- 
selves in  merchants'  gear  and  leaving  the  City-palace,  kept  thread- 
ing the  streets  till  they  reached  the  garden.  The  Caliph  went  up 
to  the  gate  and  finding  it  wide  open,  was  surprised  and  said,  "  See, 
O  Ja'afar,  how  Shaykh  Ibrahim  hath  left  the  gate  open  at  this 
hour  contrary  to  his  custom  !  "  They  went  in  and  walked  on  till 
they  came  under  the  pavilion,  when  the  Caliph  said,  "O  Ja'afar,  I 
wish  to  look  in  upon  them  unawares  before  I  show  myself,  that  I 
may  see  what  they  are  about  and  get  sight  of  the  elders ;  for 
hitherto  I  have  heard  no  sound  from  them,  nor  even  a  Fakir  calling 
upon  the  name  of  Allah.1 "  Then  he  looked  about  and,  seeing  a 


1  As  would  happen  at  a  «'  Zikr,"  rogation  or  litany.  Those  who  wish  to  see  how  much 
can  be  made  of  the  subject  will  read  "  Pearls  of  the  Faith,  or  Islam's  Rosary,  being  the 
ninety-nine  beautiful  names  of  Allah  "  (Asma-el-Husna)  etc.  by  Edwin  Arnold  :  London. 
Triibner,  1883. 


Nur  a  I- Din  Ali  and  the  Damsel  Ants  al-Jalis.  29 

tali  walnut-tree,  said  to  Ja'afar,  "  I  will  climb  this  tree,  for  its 
branches  are  near  the  lattices  and  so  look  in  upon  them."  There- 
upon he  mounted  the  tree  and  ceased  not  climbing  from  branch  to 
branch,  till  he  reached  a  bough  which  was  right  opposite  one  of 
the  windows,  and  here  he  took  seat  and  looked  inside  the  palace. 
He  saw  a  damsel  and  a  youth  as  they  were  two  moons  (glory  be  to 
Him  who  created  them  and  fashioned  them  !),  and  by  them  Shaykh 
Ibrahim  seated  cup  in  hand  and  saying,  "  O  Princess  of  fair  ones, 
drinking  without  music  is  nothing  worth  ;  indeed  I  have  heard  a 
poet  say : — 

Round  with  big  and  little,  the  bowl  and  cup,  o  Take  either  that  moon  •  in  his 

sheen  hath  crowned : 
Nor  drink  without  music,  for  oft  I've  seen,       o  The  horse  drink  best  to  the 

whistle's  sound  1 

When  the  Caliph  saw  this,  the  vein  of  wrath  started  up  between 
his  eyes  and  he  came  down  and  said  to  the  Wazir,  "  O  Ja'afar, 
never  beheld  I  yet  men  of  piety  in  such  case ;  so  do  thou  mount 
this  tree  and  look  upon  them,  lest  the  blessings  of  the  blest  be 
lost  to  thee."  Ja'afar,  hearing  the  words  of  the  Commander  of  the 
Faithful  and  being  confounded  by  them,  climbed  to  the  tree-top 
and  looking  in,  saw  Nur  al-Din  and  the  damsel,  and  Shaykh  Ibra- 
him holding  in  his  hand  a  brimming  bowl.  At  this  sight  he 
made  sure  of  death  and,  descending,  stood  before  the  Commander 
of  the  Faithful,  who  said  to  him,  "  O  Ja'afar,  praise  be  to  Allah 
who  hath  made  us  of  those  that  observe  external  ordinances  of 
Holy  Law  and  hath  averted  from  us  the  sin  of  disguising  ourselves 
after  the  manner  of  hypocrites ! "  3  But  Ja'afar  could  not  speak  a 
word  for  excess  of  confusion  ;  so  the  Caliph  looked  at  him  and 
said,  "  I  wonder  how  they  came  hither,  and  who  admitted  them 
into  my  pavilion  !  But  aught  like  the  beauty  of  this  youth  and 
this  damsel  my  eyes  never  yet  saw  ! "  "  Thou  sayest  sooth,  O  our 
Lord  the  Sultan  !  "  replied  Ja'afar  (and  he  hoped  to  propitiate  the 
Caliph  Harun  al-Rashid).  Then  quoth  the  Caliph,  "  O  Ja'afar,  let 
us  both  mount  the  branch  opposite  the  window,  that  we  may 


1  i.e.  the  S£ki,  cup-boy  or  cup-bearer.     "  Moon-faced,"  as  I  have  shown  elsewhere,  is 
no  compliment  in  English,  but  it  is  in  Persian  and  Arabic. 

2  He  means  we  are  "  Zahirf,"  plain  honest  Moslems,  not  "  Batini,"  gnostics   (ecg& 
reprobates)  and  so  forth,  who  disregard  all  appearances  and  external  ordinances.    T*»i» 
suggests  his  opinion  of  Shaykh  Ibrahim   and  possibly  refers   to  Ja'afar's  suspected 
heresy. 


3O  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

amuse  ourselves  with  looking  at  them."  So  the  two  climbed  the 
tree  and,  peering  in,  heard  Shaykh  Ibrahim  say,  '*O  my  lady,  I 
have  cast  away  all  gravity  mine  by  the  drinking  of  wine,  but  'tis 
not  sweet  save  with  the  soft  sounds  of  the  lute-strings  it  combine." 
"  By  Allah,"  replied  Anis  al-Jalis,  "  O  Shaykh  Ibrahim,  an  we  had 
but  some  instrument  of  music  our  joyance  were  complete."  Hearing 
this  he  rose  to  his  feet  and  the  Caliph  said  to  Ja'afar,  "  I  wonder 
what  he  is  about  to  do!"  and  Ja'afar  answered,  "I  know  not." 
The  Shaykh  disappeared  and  presently  reappeared  bringing  a  lute  ; 
and  the  Caliph  took  note  of  it  and  knew  it  for  that  of  Abu  Ishak 
the  Cup-companion.1  "  By  Allah,"  said  the  Caliph,  "  if  this  damsel 
sing  ill  I  will  crucify  all  of  you  ;  but  if  she  sing  well  I  will  forgive 
them  and  only  gibbet  thee."  "  O  Allah  cause  her  to  sing  vilely  !  " 
quoth  Ja'afar.  Asked  the  Caliph,  "  Why  so  ?";  and  he  answered, 
"If  thou  crucify  us  all  together,  we  shall  keep  one  another  com- 
pany," The  Caliph  laughed  at  his  speech.  Presently  the  damsel 
took  the  lute  and,  after  looking  at  it  and  tuning  it,  she  played  a 
measure  which  made  all  hearts  yearn  to  her ;  then  she  sang  these 
lines : — 

O  ye  that  can  aid  me,  a  wretched  lover,  o  Whom  longing  burns  nor 

can  rest  restore  me  ! 
Though  all  you  have  done  I  have  well  deserved,    o  I  take  refuge  with  you,  so 

exult  not  o'er  me  : 
True,  I  am  weak  and  low  and  vile,  o  But  I'll  bear  your  will  and 

whatso  you  bore  me  : 
My  death  at  your  hands  what  brings  it  of  glory  ?  «  I  fear  but  your  sin  which  of 

life  forlore  me  ! 


Quoth  the  Caliph,  "  By  Allah,  good  !  O  Ja'afar,  never  in  my  life 
have  I  heard  a  voice  so  enchanting  as  this."  "Then  haply  the 
Caliph's  wrath  hath  passed  away,"  said  Ja'afar,  and  he  replied, 
"  Yes,  'tis  gone."  Thereupon  they  descended  from  the  tree,  and 
the  Caliph  said  to  Ja'afar,  "  I  wish  to  go  in  and  sit  with  them  and 
hear  the  damsel  sing  before  me."  "  O  Commander  of  the  Faith- 
ful," replied  Ja'afar,  "  if  thou  go  in  to  them  they  will  be  terribly 
troubled,  and  Shaykh  Ibrahim  will  assuredly  die  of  fright."  But 
the  Caliph  answered,  "  O  Ja'afar,  thou  must  teach  me  some  device 
wherewith  to  delude  them  and  whereby  I  can  foregather  with  them 


1  This  worthy  will  be  noticed  in  a  subsequent  page 


Nur  a  I- Din  Alt  and  the  Damsel  Anis  al-Jalis.  31 

without  their  knowing  me."  So  they  walked  towards  the  Tigris 
pondering  the  matter,  and  presently  came  upon  a  fisherman  who 
Stood  fishing  under  the  pavilion  windows.  Now  some  time  before 
this,  the  Caliph  (being  in  the  pavilion)  had  called  to  Shaykh  Ibra- 
him and  asked  him,  "  What  noise  is  this  I  hear  under  the  windows  ?" 
and  he  had  answered,  "  It  is  voices  of  fisher  folk  catching  fish :"  so 
quoth  the  Caliph,  "  Go  down  and  forbid  them  this  place  ;"  and  he 
forbade  them  accordingly.  However  that  night  a  fisherman  named 
Karim,  happening  to  pass  by  and  seeing  the  garden  gate  open,  said 
to  himself,  "  This  is  a  time  of  negligence  ;  and  I  will  take  advantage 
of  it  to  do  a  bit  of  fishing."  So  he  took  his  net  and  cast  it,  but  he 
had  hardly  done  so  when  behold,  the  Caliph  came  up  single-handed 
and,  standing  hard  by,  knew  him  and  called  aloud  to  him,  "  Ho, 
Karim  !  "  The  fisherman,  hearing  himself  named,  turned  round, 
£md  seeing  the  Caliph,  trembled  and  his  side-muscles  quivered,  as 
h,e  cried,  "  By  Allah,  O  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  I  did  it  not  in 
srtockery  of  the  mandate  ;  but  poverty  and  a  large  family  drove 
me  to  what  thou  seest !  "  Quoth  the  Caliph,  "  Make  a  cast  in  my 
n£me."  At  this  the  fisherman  was  glad  and  going  to  the  bank 
threw  his  net,  then  waiting  till  it  had  spread  out  at  full  stretch  and 
settled  down,  hauled  it  up  and  found  in  it  various  kinds  of  fish. 
The  Caliph  was  pleased  and  said,  "  O  Karim,  doff  thy  habit."  So 
he  put  off  a  gaberdine  of  coarse  woollen  stuff  patched  in  an  hun- 
dred places  whereon  the  lice  were  rampant,  and  a  turband  which 
had  never  been  untwisted  for  three  years  but  to  which  he  had  sewn 
every  rag  he  came  upon.  The  Caliph  also  pulled  off  his  person 
two  vests  of  Alexandrian  and  Ba'lbak  silk,  a  loose  inner  robe  and 
a  long-sleeved  outer  coat,  and  said  to  the  fisherman,  "  Take  them 
and  put  them  on/*  while  he  assumed  the  foul  gaberdine  and  filthy 
turband  and  drew  a  corner  of  the  head-cloth  as  a  mouth-veil l 
before  his  face.  Then  said  he  to  the  fisherman,  "  Get  thee  about 
thy  business!  ";  and  the  man  kissed  the  Caliph's  feet  and  thanked 
him  and  improvised  the  following  couplets :  — 


1  Arab.  "  Lisam,"the  end  of  the  "  Kufiyah,"  or  head-kerchief  passed  over  the  face 
under  the  eyes  and  made  fast  on  the  other  side.  This  mouth-veil  serves  as  a  mask 
(eyes  not  being  recognisable)  and  defends  from  heat,  cold  and  thirst.  I  also  believe  that 
hooding  the  eyes  with  this  article,  Badawi-fashion,  produces  a  sensation  of  coolness,  at 
any  rate  a  marked  difference  of  apparent  temperature ;  somewhat  like  a  pair  of  dark 
spectacles  or  looking  at  the  sea  from  a  sandy  shore.  Pilgrimage  i.,  210  and  346.  The 
'^  "  Lisam"  (chin-v«il}  or  Yashmak  is  noticed  in  i.,  333, 


32  Alf  Laylak  wa  Laylah. 

Thou  hast  granted  more  favours  than  ever  I  craved;  o  Thou  hast  satisfied  needs 

which  my  heart  enslaved  : 
I  will  thank  thee  and  thank  whileas  life  shall  last,     o  And  my  bones  will  praise 

thee  in  grave  engraved ! 

Hardly  had  the  fisherman  ended  his  verse,  when  the  lice  began  to 
crawl  over  the  Caliph's  skin,  and  he  fell  to  catching  them  on  his 
neck  with  his  right  and  left  and  throwing  them  from  him,  while  he 
cried,  "  O  fisherman,  woe  to  thee  !  what  be  this  abundance  of  lice 
on  thy  gaberdine."  "  O  my  lord,"  replied  he,  "  they  may  annoy 
thee  just  at  first,  but  before  a  week  is  past  thou  wilt  not  feel  them 
nor  think  of  them."  The  Caliph  laughed  and  said  to  him, "  Out  on 
thee !  Shall  I  leave  this  gaberdine  of  thine  so  long  on  my  body  ?" 
Quoth  the  fisherman,  "  I  would  say  a  word  to  thee  but  I  am 
ashamed  in  presence  of  the  Caliph  ! "  ;  and  quoth  he,  "  Say  what 
thou  hast  to  say."  "  It  passed  through  my  thought,  O  Commander 
of  the  Faithful,"  said  the  fisherman,  "  that,  since  thou  wishest  to 
learn  fishing  so  thou  mayest  have  in  hand  an  honest  trade  whereby 
to  gain  thy  livelihood,  this  my  gaberdine  besitteth  thee  right  well."1 
The  Commander  of  the  Faithful  laughed  at  this  speech,  and  the 
fisherman  went  his  way.  Then  the  Caliph  took  up  the  basket  of 
fish  and,  strewing  a  little  green  grass  over  it,  carried  it  to  Ja'afar 
and  stood  before  him.  Ja'afar  thinking  him  to  be  Karim  the 
fisherman  feared  for  him  and  said,  "  O  Karim,  what  brought  thee 
hither  ?  Flee  for  thy  life,  for  the  Caliph  is  in  the  garden  to-night 
and,  if  he  see  thee,  thy  neck  is  gone."  At  this  the  Caliph  laughed 
and  Ja'afar  recognized  him  and  asked,  "Can  it  be  thou,  our  lord 
the  Sultan  ?"  ;  and  he  answered,  "Yes,  O  Ja'afar,  and  thou  art  my 
Wazir  and  I  and  thou  came  hither  together ;  yet  thou  knowest  me 
not ;  so  how  should  Shaykh  Ibrahim  know  me,  and  he  drunk  ? 
Stay  here,  till  I  come  back  to  thee."  "  To  hear  is  to  obey,"  said 
Ja'afar.  Then  the  Caliph  went  up  to  the  door  of  the  pavilion  and 
knocked  a  gentle  knock,  whereupon  said  Nur  al-Din,  "  O  Shaykh 
Ibrahim,  some  one  taps  at  the  door."  "  Who  goes  there  ?"  cried 
the  Shaykh  and  the  Caliph  replied,  "  It  is  I,  O  Shaykh  Ibrahim ! " 


1  Most  characteristic  is  this  familiarity  between  the  greatest  man  then  in  the  world  and 
his  pauper  subject.  The  fisherman  alludes  to  a  practise  of  Al-Islam,  instituted  by 
Caliph  Omar,  that  all  rulers  should  work  at  some  handicraft  in  order  to  spare  the  public 
treasure.  Hence  Sultan  Mu'ayyad  of  Cairo  was  a  calligrapher  who  sold  his  handwriting, 
and  his  example  was  followed  by  the  Turkish  Sultans  Mahmud,  Abd  al-Majid  and  Abd 
&1- Aziz.  German  royalties  prefer  carpentering  and  Louis  XVI.  watch-making. 


Nur  al-Din  Ali  and  the  Damsel  Anis  al-Jalis.  33 

11  Who  art  thou,"  quoth  he,  and  quoth  the  other,  "  I  am  Karim  the 
fisherman :  I  hear  thou  hast  a  feast,  so  I  have  brought  thee  some 
fish,  and  of  a  truth  'tis  good  fish."  When  Nur  aUDin  heard  the 
mention  of  fish,  he  was  glad,  he  and  the  damsel,  and  they  both  said 
to  the  Shaykh,  "  O  our  lord,  open  the  door  and  let  him  bring  us  his 
fish."  So  Shaykh  Ibrahim  opened  and  the  Caliph  came  in  (and 
he  in  fisherman  guise),  and  began  by  saluting  them.  Said  Shaykh 
Ibrahim,  "  Welcome  to  the  blackguard,  the  robber,  the  dicer !  Let 
us  see  thy  fish."  So  the  Caliph  showed  them  his  catch  and  behold, 
the  fishes  were  still  alive  and  jumping,  whereupon  the  damsel  ex- 
claimed, "  By  Allah  \  O  my  lord,  these  are  indeed  fine  fish  :  would 
they  were  fried  !"  and  Shaykh  Ibrahim  rejoined,  "  By  Allah,  O  my 
lady,  thou  art  right."  Then  said  he  to  the  Caliph,  "  O  fisherman, 
why  didst  thou  not  bring  us  the  fish  ready  fried  ?  Up  now  and 
cook  them  and  bring  them  back  to  us."  "On  my  head  be  thy 
commands ! "  said  the  Caliph,  "  I  will  fry  thee  a  dish  and  bring  it." 
Said  they,  "  Look  sharp."  Thereupon  he  went  out  and  ran  till  he 
came  up  to  Ja'afar  when  he  called  to  him,  "  Hallo,  Ja'afar  !  "  ;  and 
he  replied,  "  Here  am  I,  O  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  is  all  well  ?  " 
"  They  want  the  fish  fried,"  said  the  Caliph,  and  Ja'afar  answered, 
"  O  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  give  it  to  me  and  I'll  fry  it  for 
them."  "  By  the  tombs  of  my  forbears,"  quoth  the  Caliph,  "  none 
shall  fry  it  but  I,  with  mine  own  hand ! "  So  he  went  to  the 
gardener's  hut,  where  he  searched  and  found  all  that  he  required, 
even  to  salt  and  saffron  and  wild  marjoram  and  else  besides. 
Then  he  turned  to  the  brasier  and,  setting  on  the  frying-pan,  fried 
a  right  good  fry.  When  it  was  done,  he  laid  it  on  a  banana-leaf, 
and  gathering  from  the  garden  wind-fallen  fruits,  limes  and  lemons, 
carried  the  fish  to  the  pavilion  and  set  the  dish  before  them.  So 
the  youth  and  the  damsel  and  Shaykh  Ibrahim  came  forward  and 
ate ;  after  which  they  washed  their  hands  and  Nur  al-Din  said  to 
the  Caliph,  "  By  Allah,  O  fisherman,  thou  hast  done  us  a  right  good 
deed  this  night."  Then  he  put  hand  in  pouch  and,  taking  out 
three  of  the  dinars  which  Sanjar  had  given  him,  said,  "  O  fisher- 
man, excuse  me.  By  Allah  had  I  known  thee  before  that  which 
hath  lately  befallen  me,  I  had  done  away  the  bitterness  of  poverty 
from  thy  heart ;  but  take  thou  this  as  the  best  I  can  do  for  thee." 
Then  he  threw  the  gold  pieces  to  the  Caliph,  who  took  them  and 
kissed  them  and  put  them  in  pouch.  Now  his  sole  object  in  doing 
all  this  was  to  hear  the  damsel  sing ;  so  he  said  to  Nur  al-Din, 
41  Thou  hast  rewarded  me  most  liberally,  but  I  beg  of  thy  bound  less 
VOL.  IL  c 


34  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

bounty  that  thou  let  this  damsel  sing  an  air,  that  I  may  hear  her."1 
So  Nur  al-Din  said,  "O  Anis  al-Jalis!"  and  she  answered  "Yes!" 
and  he  continued,  "  By  my  life,  sing  us  something  for  the  sake  of 
this  fisherman  who  wisheth  so  much  to  hear  thee."  Thereupon 
she  took  the  lute  and  struck  the  strings,  after  she  had  screwed  them 
tight  and  tuned  them,  and  sang  these  improvised  verses : — 

The  fawn  of  a  maid  hent  her  lute  in  hand  o  And  her  music  made  us 
right  mettlesome  : 

For  her  song  gave  hearing  to  ears  stone-deaf,  o  While  Brava !  Brava !  ex- 
claimed the  dumb. 

Then  she  played  again  and  played  so  ravishingly,  that  she  charmed 
their  wits  and  burst  out  improvising  and  singing  these  couplets : — 

You  have  honoured  us  visiting  this  our  land,  o  And  your  splendour  illumined 

the  glooms  that  blent : 
So  'tis  due  that  for  you  I  perfume  my  place  o  With    rose-water,  musk    and 

the  camphor-scent ! 

Hereupon  the  Caliph  was  agitated,  and  emotion  so  overpowered 
him  that  he  could  not  command  himself  for  excess  of  pleasure,  and 
he  exclaimed,  "  By  Allah,  good  !  by  Allah,  good  !  by  Allah,  good!"2 
Asked  Nur  al-Din,  "  O  fisherman,  doth  this  damsel  please  thee  ?  " 
and  the  Caliph  answered,  "Ay,  by  Allah!"  Whereupon  said 
Nur  al-Din,  "  She  is  a  gift  to  thee,  a  gift  of  the  generous  who 
repenteth  him  not  of  his  givings  and  who  will  never  revoke  his 
gift !  "  Then  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and,  taking  a  loose  robe,  threw 
it  over  the  fisherman  and  bade  him  receive  the  damsel  and  be  gone. 
But  she  looked  at  him  and  said,  "  O  my  lord,  art  thou  faring  forth 
without  farewell  ?  If  it  must  be  so,  at  least  stay  till  I  bid  thee 
good-bye  and  make  known  my  case."  And  she  began  versifying 
in  these  verses  : — 

!When  love  and  longing  and  regret  are  mine,   o  Must  not  this  body  show 

of  ills  a  sign  ? 
My  love !  say  not, "  Thou  soon  shalt  be  consoled  ";  o  When  state  speaks  state 

none  shall  allay  my  pine. 
If    living   man    could    swim   upon    his   tears,    o  I    first   should   float   on 

waters  of  these  eyne  : 


1  There  would  be  nothing  singular  in  this  request.     The  democracy  of  despotism' 
levels  all  men  outside  the  pale  of  politics  and  religion. 
*  '^Wa'llahi  tayyib!"  an  exclamation  characteristic  of  the  Egyptian  Moslem. 


Nur  at- Din  AH  and  the  Damsel  Anis  al-Jalis.  35 

O  thou,  who  in  my  heart   infusedst  thy  love,    e  As  water  mingles  in  the 

cup  with  wine, 
This  was  the  fear  I  feared,  this  parting  blow,  o  O   thou  whose    love  my 

heart-core  ne'er  shall  tyne  ! 
O  Bin  Khikin !  my  sought,  my  hope,  my  will,    o  O  thou  whose  love    this 

breast  made  wholly  thine  ! 
Against  thy  lord  the  King  thou  sinn'dst  for  me,  o  And    winnedst    exile    in 

lands  peregrine  : 
Allah    ne'er    make    my    lord    repent    my    loss  o  To  cream1   o'  men   thou 

gavest  me,  one  right  digne, 

When  she  had  ended  her  verses,  Nur  al-Dm  answered  her  with 
these  lines : — 

She  bade  me  farewell  on  our  parting  day,      o  And  she  wept  in  the  fire  of 

our  bane  and  pains  : 
"What  wilt  thou  do  when  fro' thee  I'm  gone?"  o  Quoth  I,  "say  this  to  whom 

life  remains ! " 

When  the  Caliph  heard  her  saying  in  her  verse: — 

To  Karim,  the  cream  of  men  thou  gavest  me  ; 

his  inclination  for  her  redoubled  and  it  seemed  a  hard  matter  and  «» 
grievous  to  part  them  ;  so  quoth  he  to  the  youth,  "  O  my  lord,  truly 
the  damsel  said  in  her  verses  that  thou  didst  transgress  against  her 
master  and  him  who  owned  her ;  so  tell  me,  against  whom  didst 
thou  transgress  and  who  is  it  hath  a  claim  on  thee  ?  "     "  By  Allah, 
O  fisherman,"  replied  Nur  al-Din,  "  there  befel  me  and  this  damsel 
a  wondrous  tale  and  a  marvellous  matter  :  an  't  were  graven  with 
needle-gravers  on  the  eye-corners  it  would  be  a  warner  to  whoso 
would  be  warned."     Cried  the  Caliph,  "  Wilt  thou  not  tell  me  thy 
story  and  acquaint  me  with  thy  case  ?     Haply  it  may  bring  thee 
relief,  for  Allah's  aid  is  ever  nearhand."     "  O  fisherman/'  said  Nur 
al-Din,  "  wilt  thou  hear  our  history  in  verse  or  in  prose  ? "   "  Prose 
is  a  wordy  thing,  but  verses,"  rejoined  the  Caliph,  "  are  pearls  on 
string/'     Then   Nur  al-Din   bowed   his  head,  and   made  these 
couplets  : — 

O  my  friend  !  reft  of  rest  no  repose  I  command,  o  And  my  grief  is  redoubled 

in  this  far  land  : 
Erst  I  had  a  father,  a  kinder  ne'er  was  ;  o  But  he  died  and  to  Death  paid  the 

deodand  : 


1  The  pretended  fisherman's  name  Karim  =  the  Generous. 


36  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

When  he  went  from  me,  every  matter  went  wrong  o  Till  my  heart  was    nigh- 
broken,  my  nature  unmanned  : 
He  bought  me  a  handmaid,  a  sweeting  who  shamed  o  A  wand  of  the  willow  by 

Zephyr  befanned  : 
I  lavisht  upon  her  mine  heritage,  o  And  spent  like  a  nobleman  puissant  and 

grand : 
Then  to  sell  her  compelled,  my  sorrow  increased  ;  o  The  parting  was  sore  but  I 

mote  not  gainstand  : 
Now  as  soon  as  the  crier  had  called  her,  there  bid  o  A  wicked  old  fellow,  a  fiery 

brand  : 
So  I  raged  with  a  rage  that  I  could  not  restrain,  o  And  snatched  her  from  out 

of  his  hireling's  hand  ; 
When  the  angry  curmudgeon  made  ready  for  blows,  o  And   the  fire   of  a   fight 

kindled  he  and  his  band, 
I   smote  him  in  fury  with   right  and  with  left,  o  And    his    hide,    till    well 

satisfied,  curried  and  tanned  : 
Then  in  fear  I  fled  forth  and  lay  hid  in  my  house,  o  To  escape  from  the  snares 

which  my  foeman  had  spanned  : 
So  the  King  of  the  country  proclaimed  my  arrest ;  o  When  access  to  me  a  good 

Chamberlain  fand : 
And  warned  me   to   flee   from   the   city   afar,  o  Disappear,  disappoint  what 

my  enemies  planned : 
Then  we  fled  from  our  home  'neath  the  wing  of  the  night,  o  And  sought  us  a 

refuge  by  Baghdad  strand  : 
Of  my  riches  I've  nothing  on  thee  to  bestow,  o  O  Fisher,  except  the  fair 

gift  thou  hast  scanned  : 
The  loved  of  my  soul,  and  when  I  from  her  part,  o  Know  for  sure  that  I  gnre 

thee  the  blood  of  my  heart1 

When  he  had  ended  his  verse,  the  Caliph  said  to  him,  "  O  my  lord 
Nur  al-Din,  explain  to  me  thy  case  more  fully."  So  he  told  him 
the  whole  story  from  beginning  to  end,  and  the  Caliph  said  to  him, 
"Whither  dost  thou  now  intend?"  "Allah's  world  is  wide,"  re- 
plied he.  Quoth  the  Caliph,  "  I  will  write  thee  a  letter  to  carry  to 
the  Sultan  Mohammed  bin  Sulayman  al-Zayni,  which  when  he 
readeth,  he  will  not  hurt  nor  harm  thee  in  aught" — And  Shahrazad 
rperceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


1  Such  an  act  of  generosity  would  appear  to  Europeans  well-nigh  insanity,  but  it  is 
quite  in  Arab  manners.  Witness  the  oft-quoted  tale  of  Hatim  and  his  hone.  As  a  rule 
the  Arab  is  the  reverse  of  generous,  contrasting  badly,  in  this  point,  with  his  cousin  the 
Jew  :  hence  his  ideal  of  generosity  is  of  the  very  highest.  "  The  generous  (i.e.  liberal) 
is  Allah's  friend,  aye,  though  he  be  a  sinner  ;  and  the  miser  is  Allah's  foe,  aye,  though  he 
be  a  saint  ! "  Indian  Moslems  call  a  skin-flint  Makhi-chus  =  fly-sucker  (Pilgrimage  i, 


Nur  al-Din  AH  and  the  Damsel  Ants  at-Jalis.  37 


fofien  ft  foas  tje 

She  continued,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when 
the  Caliph  said  to  Nur  al-Din  Ali,  4i  I  will  write  thee  a  letter  to  cany 
to  the  Sultan  Mohammed  bin  Sulayman  al-Zayni,  which  when  he 
readeth,  he  will  not  hurt  nor  harm  thee  in  aught,"  Nural-Din  asked 
"  What !  is  there  in  the  world  a  fisherman  who  writeth  to  Kings  ? 
Such  a  thing  can  never  be  1 " ;  and  the  Caliph  answered,  "  Thou 
sayest  sooth,  but  I  will  tell  thee  the  reason.  Know  that  I  and  he 
learnt  in  the  same  school  under  one  schoolmaster,  and  that  I  was 
his  monitor.  Since  that  time  Fortune  befriended  him  and  he  is 
become  a  Sultan,  while  Allah  hath  abased  me  and  made  me  a 
fisherman  ;  yet  I  never  send  to  him  to  ask  aught  but  he  doeth  my 
desire  ;  nay,  though  I  should  ask  of  him  a  thousand  favours  every 
day,  he  would  comply."  When  Nur  al-Din  heard  this  he  said, 
"  Good  !  write  that  I  may  see."  So  the  Caliph  took  ink-case  and 
reed-pen  and  wrote  as  follows, — "  In  the  name  of  Allah,  the  Com- 
passionating, the  Compassionate  \  But  after.1  This  letter  is  written 
by  Harun  al-Rashid,  son  of  Al-Mahdi,  to  his  highness  Mohammed 
bin  Sulayman  al-Zayni,  whom  I  have  encompassed  about  with  my 
favour  and  made  my  viceroy  in  certain  of  my  dominions.  The 
bearer  of  these  presents  is  Nur  al-Din  Ali,  son  of  Fazl  bin  Khakan 
the  Wazir.  As  soon  as  they  come  to  thy  hand  divest  thyself  forth- 
right of  the  kingly  dignity  and  invest  him  therewith  ;  so  oppose  not 
my  commandment  and  peace  be  with  thee."  He  gave  the  letter  to 
Nur  al-Din,  who  took  it  and  kissed  it,  then  put  it  in  his  turband  and 
set  out  at  once  on  his  journey.  So  far  concerning  him ;  but  as 
regards  the  Caliph,  Shaykh  Ibrahim  stared  at  him  (and  he  still  in 
fisher  garb)  and  said,  "  O  vilest  of  fishermen,  thou  hast  brought  us 
a  couple  of  fish  worth  a  score  of  half-dirhams,2  and  hast  gotten  three 

1  Arab.  Amma  ba  'ad  (or  Wa  ba  'ad),  an  initiatory  formula  attributed  to  Koss  ibn  Sa'idat 
al-Iyadi,  bishop  of  Najran  (the  town  in  Al-Yaman  which  D'Herbelot  calls  Negiran)  and 
a  famous- preacher  in  Mohammed's  day)  hence  "more  eloquent  than  Koss"  (Maydanf, 
Arab.  Prov.,  189).     He  was  the  first  who  addressed  letters  with  the  incept,  "  from  A.  to 
B.  " ;  and  the  first  who  preached  from  a  pulpit  and  who  leant  on  a  sword  or  a  staff  when 
discoursing.    Many  Moslems  date  Amma  ba'ad  from  the  Prophet  David,  relying  upon  a 
passage  of  the  Koran  (xxxviii.  19). 

2  Arab.  "  Nusf  "  =  half  (a  dirham) :  vulgarly  pronounced  "nuss,"  and  synonymous 
with  the  Egypt.  "  Faddah  "  (=  silver),  the  Greek  Asper,  and  the  Turkish  "  parah."     It 
is  the  smallest  Egyptian  coin,  made  of  very  base  metal  and,  there  being  forty  to  tb« 
piastre,  it  is  worth  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  farthing. 


38  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

dinars  for  them  ;  and  thinkest  thou  to  take  the  damsel  to  boot  ? " 
When  the  Caliph  heard  this,  he  cried  out  at  him,  and  signed  to 
Masrur  who  discovered  himself  and  rushed  in  upon  him.  Now 
Ja'afar  had  sent  one  of  the  gardener-lads  to  the  doorkeeper  of  the 
palace  to  fetch  a  suit  of  royal  raiment  for  the  Prince  of  the  Faithful ; 
so  the  man  went  and,  returning  with  the  suit,  kissed  the  ground 
before  the  Caliph  and  gave  it  him.  Then  he  threw  off  the  clothes 
he  had  on1  and  donned  kingly  apparel.  Shaykh  Ibrahim  was  still 
sitting  upon  his  chair  and  the  Caliph  tarried  to  behold  what  would 
come  next.  But  seeing  the  Fisherman  become  the  Caliph,  Shaykh 
Ibrahim  was  utterly  confounded  and  he  could  do  nothing  but  bite 
his  finger-ends2  and  say,  "  Would  I  knew  whether  am  I  asleep  or 
am  I  awake!"  At  last  the  Caliph  looked  at  him  and  cried,  "O 
Shaykh  Ibrahim,  what  state  is  this  in  which  I  see  thee?"  There- 
upon he  recovered  from  his  drunkenness  and,  throwing  himself  upon 
the  ground,  repeated  these  verses  : — 

Pardon  the  sinful  ways  I  did  pursue  ;        o  Ruth  from  his  lord  to  every  slave 

is  due : 
Confession  pays  the  fine  that  sin  demands ;  o  Where,  then,  is  that  which  grace 

and  mercy  sue?3 

The  Caliph  forgave  him  and  bade  carry  the  damsel  to  the  city- 
palace,  where  he  set  apart  for  her  an  apartment  and  appointed 
slaves  to  serve  her,  saying  to  her,  "  Know  that  we  have  sent  thy 
lord  to  be  Sultan  in  Bassorah  and,  Almighty  Allah  willing,  we 
will  dispatch  him  the  dress  of  investiture  and  thee  with  it." 
Meanwhile,  Nur  al-Din  AH  ceased  not  travelling  till  he  reached 
Bassorah,  where  he  repaired  to  the  Sultan's  palace  and  he  shouted 
a  loud  shout.4  The  Sultan  heard  him  and  sent  for  him  ;  and  when 
he  came  into  his  presence,  he  kissed  the  ground  between  his  hands 
and,  producing  the  letter,  presented  it  to  him.  Seeing  the  super- 
scription in  the  writing  of  the  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  the 
Sultan  rose  to  his  feet  and  kissed  it  three  times  ;  and  after  reading 

1  The  too  literal   Torrens  and   Lane  make  the  Caliph  give  the  gardener-lad    the 
clothes  in  which  he  was  then  clad,  forgetting,  like  the  author  or  copier,  that  he  wore  the 
fishermen's  lousy  suit. 

2  In  sign  of  confusion,  disappointment  and  so  forth  :  not  "biting  his  nails,1*  which  is 
European  and  utterly  un- Asiatic. 

8  See  lines  like  these  in  Night  xiii.  (i.  136);  the  sentiment  is  trite. 

*  The  Arab  will  still  stand  under  his  ruler's  palace  and  shout  aloud  to  attract  his 
attention.  Sayyid  Sa'id  known  as  the  "Iman  of  Muskat"  used  to  encourage  the 
patriarchal  practice.  Mohammed  repeatedly  protested  against  such  unceremonious 
conduct  (Koran  xciv.  n,  etc.).  The  "three  times  of  privacy"  (Koran  cv.  57)  are 
before  the  dawn  prayer,  during  the  Siesta  (noon)  and  after  the  even-prayer. 


Nur  at- Din  AH  and  the  Damsel  Ants  al-Jalis.  39 

it  said,  "  I  hear  and  I  obey  Allah  Almighty  and  the  Commander 
of  the  Faithful ! "  Then  he  summoned  the  four  Kazis1  and  the 
Emirs  and  was  about  to  divest  himself  of  the  rule  royal,  when 
behold,  in  came  Al  Mu'in  bin  Sawi.  The  Sultan  gave  him  the 
Caliph's  letter  and  he  read  it,  then  tore  it  to  pieces  and  putting  it 
into  his  mouth,  chewed  it2  and  spat  it  out.  "Woe  to  thee,"  quoth 
the  Sultan  (and  indeed  he  was  sore  angered) ;  "  what  induced  thee 
to  do  this  deed  ? "  "  Now  by  thy  life !  O  our  lord  the  Sultan," 
replied  Mu'in,  "  this  man  hath  never  foregathered  with  the  Caliph 
nor  with  his  Wazir ;  but  he  is  a  gallows-bird,  a  limb  of  Satan,  a 
knave  who,  having  come  upon  a  written  paper  in  the  Caliph's 
hand,  some  idle  scroll,  hath  made  it  serve  his  own  end.  The 
Caliph  would  surely  not  send  him  to  take  the  Sultanate  from  thee 
without  the  imperial  autograph3  and  the  diploma  of  investiture, 
and  he  certainly  would  have  despatched  with  him  a  Chamberlain 
or  a  Minister.  But  he  hath  come  alone  and  he  never  came  from 
the  Caliph,  no,  never !  never  !  never ! "  "  What  is  to  be  done  ? " 
asked  the  Sultan,  and  the  Minister  answered,  "  Leave  him  to  me 
and  I  will  take  him  and  keep  him  away  from  thee,  and  send  him 
in  charge  of  a  Chamberlain  to  Baghdad-city.  Then,  if  what  he 
says  be  sooth,  they  will  bring  us  back  autograph  and  investiture  ; 
and  if  not,  I  will  take  my  due  out  of  this  debtor."  When  the 
Sultan  heard  the  Minister's  words  he  said,  "  Hence  with  thee  and 
him  too."  Al  Mu'in  took  trust  of  him  from  the  King  and,  carrying 
him  to  his  own  house,  cried  out  to  his  pages  who  laid  him  flat  and 
beat  him  till  he  fainted.  Then  he  let  put  upon  his  feet  heavy 
shackles  and  carried  him  to  the  jail,  where  he  called  the  jailor, 
one  Kutayt,4  who  came  and  kissed  the  ground  before  him.  Quoth 
the  Wazir,  "  O  Kutayt,  I  wish  thee  to  take  this  fellow  and  throw 
him  into  one  of  the  underground  cells5  in  the  prison  and  torture 
him  night  and  day."  "  To  hear  is  to  obey,"  replied  the  jailor  and, 
taking  Nur  al-Din  into  the  prison,  locked  the  door  upon  him. 
Then  he  gave  orders  to  sweep  a  bench  behind  the  door  and, 
spreading  on  it  a  sitting-rug  and  a  leather-cloth,  seated  Nur  al-Din 
thereon  and  loosed  his  shackles  and  entreated  him  kindly.  The 


1  The  Judges  of  the  four  orthodox  schools. 

8  That  none  might  see  it  or  find  it  ever  after. 

•  Arab.  " Khatt  Sharif"  =  a  royal  autographical  letter:  the  term  is  still  preserved 
in  Turkey,  but  Europeans  will  write  "  Hatt." 

4  Meaning  "  Little  tom-cat "  ;  a  dim.  of  "  Kitt  "  vulg.  Kutt  or  Gutt. 

s  Arab.  "Matmurah "—  the  Algerine  "Matamor" — a  "silo,"  made  familiar  to 
England  by  the  invention  of  "  Ensilage." 


40  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

Wazir  sent  every  day  enjoining  the  jailor  to  beat  nim,  but  he 
abstained  from  this,  and  so  continued  to  do  for  forty  days.  On  the 
forty-first  day  there  came  a  present  from  the  Caliph ;  which  when 
the  Sultan  saw,  it  pleased  him  and  he  consulted  his  Ministers  on 
the  matter,  when  one  of  them  said,  "  Perchance  this  present  was 
for  the  new  Sultan."  Cried  Al-Mu'in,  "  We  should  have  done  well 
had  we  put  him  to  death  at  his  first  coming  ;  "  and  the  Sultan  cried 
"  By  Allah,  thou  hast  reminded  me  of  him  !  Go  down  to  the  prison 
and  fetch  him,  and  I  will  strike  off  his  head."  "To  hear  is  to 
obey,"  replied  Al-Mu'in :  then  he  stood  up  and  said,  "  I  will 
make  proclamation  in  the  city: — Whoso  would  solace  himself  with 
seeing  the  beheading  of  Nur  al-Din  bin  al-Fazl  bin  Khakan,  let 
him  repair  to  the  palace !  So  follower  and  followed,  great  and 
small  will  flock  to  the  spectacle,  and  I  shall  heal  my  heart  and 
harm  my  foe."  "  Do  as  thou  wilt,"  said  the  Sultan.  The  Wazir 
went  off  (and  he  was  glad  and  gay),  and  ordered  the  Chief  of 
Police  to  make  the  afore-mentioned  proclamation.  When  the 
people  heard  the  crier,  they  all  sorrowed  and  wept,  even  the  little 
ones  at  school  and  the  traders  in  their  shops ;  and  some  strove  to 
get  places  for  seeing  the  sight,  whilst  others  went  to  the  prison 
with  the  object  of  escorting  him  thence.  Presently,  the  Wazir 
came  with  ten  Mamelukes  to  the  jail  and  Kutayt  the  jailor  asked 
him,  "  Whom  seekest  thou,  O  our  lord  the  Wazir  ? "  ;  whereto  he 
answered,  "  Bring  me  out  that  gallows-bird."  But  the  jailor  said, 
"  He  is  in  the  sorriest  of  plights  for  the  much  beating  I  have  given 
him."  Then  he  went  into  the  prison  and  found  Nur  al-Din 
repeating  these  verses : — 

Who  shall  support  me  in  calamities,         o  When  fail  all  cures  and  greater 

cares  arise  ? 
Exile  hath  worn  my  heart,  my  vitals  torn  ;  o  The  World  to  foes  hath  turned 

my  firm  allies. 
O  folk,  will  not  one  friend  amidst  you  all  o  Wail  o'er  my  woes,  and  cry  to  hear 

my  cries  ? 
Death  and  its  agonies  seem  light  to  me,  o  Since  life  has  lost  all  joys  and 

jollities : 

0  Lord  of  Mustafa^1  that  Science-sea       «  Sole  Intercessor,  Guide  all-ware, 

all-wise ! 

1  pray  thee  free  me  and  my  fault  forego,  o  And  from  me  drive  mine  evil  and 

my  woe. 

1  The  older  "  Mustapha"  =  Mohammed.  This  Intercession-doctrine  is  fiercely 
disputed.  Pilgrimage  ii.  77.  The  Apostle  of  Al-Islam  seems  to  have  been  unable  to 
make  up  his  mind  upon  the  subject :  and  modern  opinion  amongst  Moslems  is  apparently 
borrowed  from  the  Christians. 


Nur  al-Din  All  and  the  Damsel  Anis  al-Jalis.  41 

The  jailor  stripped  off  his  clean  clothes  and,  dressing  him  in  two 
filthy  vests,  carried  him  to  the  Wazir.  Nur  al-Din  looked  at  him 
and  saw  it  was  his  foe  that  sought  to  compass  his  death  ;  so  he 
wept  and  said,  "  Art  thou,  then,  so  secure  against  the  World  ? 
Hast  thou  not  heard  the  saying  of  the  poet : — 

Kisras  and  Caesars  in  a  bygone  day  o  Stored  wealth  ;  where  is  it,  and  ah ! 
where  are  they?" 

"  O  Wazir,"  he  continued,  "  know  that  Allah  (be  He  extolled  and 
exalted  !)  will  do  whatso  He  will  1 "  "  O  Ali,"  replied  he,  "  think- 
est  thou  to  frighten  me  with  such  talk  ?  I  mean  this  very  day  to 
smite  thy  neck  despite  the  noses  of  the  Bassorah  folk  and  I  care 
not  ;  let  the  days  do  as  they  please ;  nor  will  I  turn  me  to  thy 
counsel  but  rather  to  what  the  poet  saith : — 

Leave  thou  the  days  to  breed  their  ban  and  bate,  o  And  make  thee  strong 
t'  upbear  the  weight  of  Fate. 

And  also  how  excellently  saith  another  : — 

Whoso  shall  see  the  death-day  of  his  foe,  o  One  day  surviving,  wins  his  bestest 
wish." 

Then  he  ordered  ~his  attendants  to  mount  Nur  al-Din  upon  the 
bare  back  of  a  mule  ;  and  they  said  to"  the  youth  (for  truly  it  was 
irksome  to  them),  "Let  us  stone  him  and  cut  him  down  though 
our  lives  go  for  it."  But  Nur  al-Din  said  to  them,  "  Do  not  so : 
have  ye  not  heard  the  saying  of  the  poet  ? — 

Needs  must  I  bear  the  term  by  Fate  decreed,  o  And  when  that  day  be  dead 

needs  must  I  die  : 
If   lions  dragged  me  to  their  forest-lair,        o  Safe  should  I  live  till  draw 

my  death-day  nigh." 

Then  they  proceeded  to  proclaim  before  Nur  al-Din,  "  This  is  the 
least  of  the  retribution  for  him  who  imposeth  upon  Kings  with 
forgeries."  And  they  ceased  not  parading  him  round  about  Bas- 
sorah, till  they  made  him  stand  beneath  the  palace-windows  and 
set  him  upon  the  leather  of  blood,1  and  the  sworder  came  up  to 

1  Lane  (i.  486)  curiously  says,  "The  place  of  the  stagnation  of  blood  : "  yet  he  had 
translated  the  word  aright  in  the  Introduction  (i.  41).  I  have  noticed  that  the  Nat'a  is 
made  like  the  "Sufrah,"  of  well-tanned  leather,  with  rings  in  the  periphery,  so  that  a 
thong  passed  through  turns  it  into  a  bag.  The  Suftah  used  for  provUions  is  usually 
yellow,  with  a  black  border  and  small  pouches  for  knives  or  spoons  (Pilgrimage  i.  in) 


42  A  If  Laylak  wa  Laylah. 

him  and  said,  "  O  my  lord,  I  am  but  a  slave  commanded  in  this 
matter :  an  thou  have  any  desire,  tell  it  me  that  I  may  fulfil  it,  for 
now  there  remaineth  of  thy  life  only  so  much  as  may  be  till  the 
Sultan  shall  put  his  face  out  of  the  lattice."  Thereupon  Nur  al- 
Din  looked  to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  and  before  him  and  behind 
him  and  began  improvising  : — 

The  sword,  the  sworder  and  the  blood-skin  waiting  me  I  sight,  o  And  cry, 

Alack,  mine  evil  fate  !  ah,  my  calamity ! 
How  is't  I  see  no  loving  friend  with  eye  of  sense  or  soul?  o  What !  no  one 

here  ?     I  cry  to  all  :  will  none  reply  to  me  ? 
The  time  is  past  that  formed  my  life,  my  death  term  draweth  nigh,  o  Will  no 

man  win  the  grace  of  God  showing  me  clemency  ; 
And  look  with  pity  on  my  state,  and  clear  my  dark  despair,  o  E'en  with  a 

draught  of  water  dealt  to  cool  death's  agony  ? 

The  people  fell  to  weeping  over  him  ;  and  the  headsman  rose  and 
brought  him  a  draught  of  water;  but  the  Wazir  sprang  up  from 
his  place  and  smote  the  gugglet  with  his  hand  and  broke  it  :  then 
he  cried  out  at  the  executioner  and  bade  him  strike  off  Nur  ai- 
Din's  head.  So  he  bound  the  eyes  of  the  doomed  man  and  folk 
clamoured  at  the  Wazir  and  loud  wailings  were  heard  and  much 
questioning  of  man  and  man.  At  this  moment  behold,  rose  a  dense 
dust-cloud  filling  sky  and  wold  ;  and  when  the  Sultan,  who  was 
sitting  in  the  palace,  descried  this,  he  said  to  his  suite,  "  Go  and 
see  what  yon  cloud  bringeth  :  "  Replied  Al  Mu'in,  "  Not  till  we 
have  smitten  this  fellow's  neck  ; "  but  the  Sultan  said,  "  Wait  ye 
till  we  see  what  this  meaneth."  Now  the  dust-cloud  was  the  dust 
of  Ja'afar  the  Barmecide,  Wazir  to  the  Caliph,  and  his  host ;  and 
the  cause  of  his  coming  was  as  follows.  The  Caliph  passed  thirty 
days  without  calling  to  mind  the  matter  of  Nur  al-Din  Ali,1  and 
none  reminded  him  of  it,  till  one  night,  as  he  passed  by  the 
chamber  of  Anis  al-Jalis,  he  heard  her  weeping  and  singing  with 
a  soft  sweet  voice  these  lines  of  the  poet : — 

In  thought  I  see  thy  form  when  farthest  far  or  nearest  near ;    o   And  on  my 
tongue  there  dwells  a  name  which  man  shall  ne'er  unhear. 

Then  her  weeping  redoubled ;  when  lo !  the  Caliph  opened  the 
door  and,  entering  the  chamber,  found  Anis  al-Jalis  in  tears. 
When  she  saw  him  she  fell  to  the  ground  and  kissing  his  feet 
three  times  repeated  these  lines :  — 

1  This  improbable  detail  shows  the  Caliph's  greatness. 


Nur  at- Din  Ali  and  the  Damsel  Anis  al-Jalis.  43 

0  fertile  root  and  noble  growth  of  trunk  ;  o  Ripe-fruitfuJ  branch  of  never 

sullied  race  ; 

1  mind  theeof  what  pact  thy  bounty  made;  o  Far  be  't  from  thee  thou  should'st 

forget  my  case ! 

Quoth  the  Caliph,  "  Who  art  thou  ? "  and  she  replied,  "  I  am  she 
whom  Ali  bin  Khakan  gave  thee  in  gift,  and  1  wish  the  fulfilment 
of  thy  promise  to  send  me  to  him  with  the  robe  of  honour ;  for  I 
have  now  been  thirty  days  without  tasting  the  food  of  sleep." 
Thereupon  the  Caliph  sent  for  Ja'afar  and  said  to  him,  "  O  Ja'afar, 
'tis  thirty  days  since  we  have  had  news  of  Nur  al-Din  bin  Khakan, 
and  I  cannot  but  suppose  that  the  Sultan  hath  slain  him ;  but,  by 
the  life  of  my  head  and  by  the  sepulchres  of  my  forefathers,  if 
aught  of  foul  play  hath  befallen  him,  I  will  surely  make  an  end  of 
him  who  was  the  cause  of  it,  though  he  be  the  dearest  of  all  men  to 
myself !  So  I  desire  that  thou  set  out  for  Bassorah  within  this 
hour  and  bring  me  tidings  of  my  cousin,  King  Mohammed  bin 
Sulayman  al-Zayni,  and  how  he  hath  dealt  with  Nur  al-Din  Ali 
bin  Khakan  ;  "  adding,  "  If  thou  tarry  longer  on  the  road  than  shall 
suffice  for  the  journey,  I  will  strike  off  thy  head.  Furthermore,  do 
thou  tell  the  son  of  my  uncle  the  whole  story  of  Nur  al-Din,  and 
how  I  sent  him  with  my  written  orders ;  and  if  thou  find,  O  my 
cousin,1  that  the  King  hath  done  otherwise  than  as  I  commanded, 
bring  him  and  the  Wazir  Al-Mu'in  bin  Sawi  to  us  in  whatsoever 
guise  thou  shalt  find  them."  2  "  Hearing  and  obedience,"  replied 
Ja'afar  and,  making  ready  on  the  instant,  he  set  out  for  Bassorah 
where  the  news  of  his  coming  had  foregone  him  and  had  reached 
to  the  ears  of  King  Mohammed.  When  Ja'afar  arrived  and  saw 
the  crushing  and  crowding  of  the  lieges,  he  asked,  "  What  means 
all  this  gathering  ?  "  so  they  told  him  what  was  doing  in  the  matter 
of  Nur  al-Din  ;  whereupon  he  hastened  to  go  to  the  Sultan  and 
saluting  him,  acquainted  him  with  the  cause  why  he  came  and 
the  Caliph's  resolve,  in  case  of  any  foul  play  having  befallen  the 
youth,  to  put  to  death  whoso  should  have  brought  it  about. 
Then  he  took  into  custody  the  King  and  the  Wazir  and  laid 
them  in  ward  and,  giving  order  for  the  release  of  Nur  al-Din  Ali, 
enthroned  him  as  Sultan  in  the  stead  of  Mohammed  bin  Sulay- 
man. After  this  Ja'afar  abode  three  days  in  Bassorah,  the  usual 


1  "  Cousin  is  here  a  term  of  familiarity,  our  "  coz." 

*  i.r.  without  allowing  them  a  moment's  delay  to  change  clothes. 


44  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

guest-time,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day,  Nur  al-Din  All 
turned  to  him  and  said,  "  I  long  for  the  sight  of  the  Commander 
of  the  Faithful."  Then  said  Ja'afar  to  Mohammed  bin  Sulay- 
man,  "  Make  ready  to  travel,  for  we  will  say  the  dawn-prayer 
and  mount  Baghdad-wards ; "  and  he  replied,  "  To  hear  is  to 
obey."  Then  they  prayed  and  they  took  horse  and  set  out,  all 
of  them,  carrying  with  them  the  Wazir,  Al-Mu'in  bin  Sawi,  who 
began  to  repent  him  of  what  he  had  done.  Nur  al-Din  rode  by 
Ja'afar's  side  and  they  stinted^  not  faring  on  till  they  arrived  at 
Baghdad,  the  House  of  Peace,  and  going  in  to  the  Caliph  told 
him  how  they  had  found  Nur  al-Din  nigh  upon  death.  There- 
upon the  Caliph  said  to  the  youth,  "  Take  this  sword  and  smite 
with  it  the  neck  of  thine  enemy."  So  he  took  the  sword  from  his 
hand  and  stepped  up  to  Al-Mu'in  who  looked  at  him  and  said,  "  I 
did  according  to  my  mother's  milk,  do  thou  according  to  thine." l 
Upon  this  Nur  al-Din  cast  the  sword  from  his  hand  and  said  to 
the  Caliph,  "  O  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  he  hath  beguiled  me 
with  his  words  ; "  and  he  repeated  this  couplet : — 

By  craft  and  sleight  I  snared  him  when  he  came  ;  o  A  few  fair  words  aye  trap 
the  noble-game ! 

"  Leave  him  then,"  cried  the  Caliph  and,  turning  to  Masrur  said, 
"  Rise  thou  and  smite  his  neck."  So  Masrur  drew  his  sword  and 
struck  off  his  head.  Then  quoth  the  Caliph  to  Nur  al-Din  AH, 
"  Ask  a  boon  of  me."  "  O  my  lord,"  answered  he,  "  I  have  no 
need  of  the  Kingship  of  Bassorah  ;  my  sole  desire  is  to  be  honoured 
by  serving  thee  and  by  seeing  thy  countenance."  "  With  love  and 
gladness,"  said  the  Caliph.  Then  he  sent  for  the  damsel,  Anis 
al-Jalis,  and  bestowed  plentiful  favours  upon  them  both  and  gave 
them  one  of  his  palaces  in  Baghdad,  and  assigned  stipends  and 
allowances,  and  made  Nur  al-Din  AH  bin  Fazl  bin  Khakan,  one 
of  his  cup-companions  ;  and  he  abode  with  the  Commander  of  the 
Faithful  enjoying  the  pleasantest  of  lives  till  death  overtook  him. 
"  Yet  (continued  Shahrazad)  is  not  his  story  in  any  wise  more 
wondrous  than  the  history  of  the  merchant  and  his  children."  The 
King  asked  "  And  what  was  that  ? "  and  Shahrazad  began  to 
relate  the 


1  *'.*.  according  to  my  nature,  birth,  blood,  de  roff» 


The  Tale  of  Ghanim  bin  Ayyub.  45 


TALE    OF  GHANIM  BIN  AYYUB\  THE   DISTRAUGHT^ 
THE  THRALL  O*  LOVE. 

IT  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  in  times  of  yore  and 
in  years  and  ages  long  gone  before,  there  lived  in  Damascus  a 
merchant  among  the  merchants,  a  wealthy  man  who  had  a  son  like 
the  moon  on  the  night  of  his  fulness  2  and  withal  sweet  of  speech* 
who  was  named  Ghanim  bin  'Ayyiib  surnamed  the  Distraught,  the 
Thrall  o'  Love.  He  had  also  a  daughter,  own  sister  to  Ghanim, 
who  was  called  Fitnah,  a  damsel  unique  in  beauty  and  loveliness. 
Their  father  died  and  left  them  abundant  wealth,  —  And  Shahrazad 
perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


fofcen  it  fo'as  tfje  ^fjirtn-nintft 

She  said,  it  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  merchant 
left  his  two  children  abundant  wealth  and  amongst  other  things  an 
hundred  loads8  of  silks  and  brocades,  musk-pods  and  mother 
o'  pearl  ;  and  there  was  written  on  every  bale,  "  This  is  of  the 
packages  intended  for  Baghdad,"  it  having  been  his  purpose  to 
make  the  journey  thither,  when  Almighty  Allah  took  him  to 
Himself,  which  was  in  the  time  of  the  Caliph  Harun  al-Rashid. 


1  Our  "  Job."  The  English  translators  of  the  Bible,  who  borrowed  Luther's  system 
of  transliteration  (of  A.D.  1522),  transferred  into  English  the  German  "j"  which  has 
the  sound  of  "i"  or  "y"  ;  intending  us  to  pronounce  Yacob  (or  Yakob),  Yericho, 
Yimnites,  Yob  (or  Hiob)  and  Yudah.  Tyndall  who  copied  Luther  (A.D.  1525-26),  pre- 
served the  true  sound  by  writing  lacob,  Ben  lamin  and  ludas.  But  his  successors 
unfortunately  returned  to  the  German ;  the  initial  I  having  from  the  xiii.  century  beea 
ornamentally  lengthened  and  bent  leftwards  became  a  consonant ;  the  public  adopted  the 
vernacular  sound  of  «'  j  "  (dg)  and  hence  our  language  and  our  literature  are  disgraced  by 
such  barbarisms  as  "Jehovah  "  and  "Jesus"—  Dgehovah  and  Dgeesus  for  Yehovah  and 
Yesus.  Future  generations  of  school-teachers  may  remedy  the  evil ;  meanwhile  we  tie 
doomed  for  the  rest  of  our  days  to  hear 

Gee-rusalem  !  Gee-rusalem  !  etc 

Nor  is  there  one  word  to  be  said  in  favour  of  the  corruption  except  that,  like  the 
Protestant  mispronunciation  of  Latin  and  the  Erasmian  ill-articulation  of  Greek,  it  has 
become  "  English,"  and  has  lent  its  little  aid  in  dividing  the  Britons  from  the  rest  of  the 
civilised  world. 

1  The  moon,  I  repeat,  is  masculine  in  the  so-called  "  Semitic  "  tongues. 

*  »".*.  camel-loads  about  Ibs-joo ;  and  for  long  journeys  lbs.250, 


46  A  If  Laylah  wa  Lay  la  k. 

After  a  while  his  son  took  the  loads  and,  bidding  farewell  to  his 
mother  and  kindred  and  townsfolk,  went  forth  with  a  company 
of  merchants,  putting  his  trust  in  Allah  Almighty,  who  decreed  him 
safety,  so  that  he  arrived  without  let  or  stay  at  Baghdad.  There 
he  hired  for  himself  a  fair  dwelling  house  which  he  furnished  with 
carpets  and  cushions,  curtains  and  hangings  ;  and  therein  stored 
his  bales  and  stabled  his  mules  and  camels,  after  which  he  abode 
a  while  resting.  Presently  the  merchants  and  notables  of  Baghdad 
came  and  saluted  him ,  after  which  he  took  a  bundle  containing 
ten  pieces  of  costly  stuffs,  with  the  prices  written  on  them,  and 
carried  it  to  the  merchants'  bazar,  where  they  welcomed  and 
saluted  him  and  showed  him  all  honour ;  and,  making  him  dismount 
from  his  beast,  seated  him  in  the  shop  of  the  Syndic  of  the  market, 
to  whom  he  delivered  the  package.  He  opened  it  and  drawing  out 
the  pieces  of  stuff,  sold  them  for  him  at  a  profit  of  two  dinars  on 
every  dinar  of  prime  cost.  At  this  Ghanim  rejoiced  and  kept 
selling  his  silks  and  stuffs  one  after  another,  and  ceased  not  to 
do  on  this  wise  for  a  full  year.  On  the  first  day  of  the  follow- 
ing year  he  went,  as  was  his  wont,  to  the  Exchange  which,  was 
in  the  bazar,  but  found  the  gate  shut ;  and  enquiring  the  reason 
was  told,  "  One  of  the  merchants  is  dead  and  all  the  others  have 
gone  to  follow  his  bier,1  and  why  shouldst  thou  not  win  the 
meed  of  good  deeds  by  walking  with  them  ? "  2  He  replied  "  Yes," 
and  asked  for  the  quarter  where  the  funeral  was  taking  place,  and 
one  directed  him  thereto.  So  he  purified  himself  by  the  Wuzu- 
ablution  3  and  repaired  with  the  other  merchants  to  the  oratory, 
where  they  prayed  over  the  dead,  then  walked  before  the  bier  to 
the  burial-place,  and  Ghanim,  who  was  a  bashful  man,  followed 
them  being  ashamed  to  leave  them.  They  presently  issued  from  the 
city,  and  passed  through  the  tombs  until  they  reached  the  grave 
where  they  found  that  the  deceased's  kith  and  kin  had  pitched  a 
tent  over  the  tomb  and  had  brought  thither  lamps  and  wax- 
candles.  So  they  buried  the  body  and  sat  down  while  the  readers 
read  out  and  recited  the  Koran  over  the  grave  ;  and  Ghanim  sat 
with  them,  being  overcome  with  bashfulness  and  saying  to  himself 
"  I  cannot  well  go  away  till  they  do."  They  tarried  listening  to 

1  Arab.  "Janazah,"  so  called  only  when  carrying  a  corpse;  else  Na'ash,  San'r  or 
Tabut:  Irdn  beiag  the  large  hearse  on  which  chiefs  are  borne.     It  is  made  of  plank  or 
stick-work  ;  but  there  are  several  varieties  (Lane,  M.  E.  chapt.  xxviii). 

2  It  is  meritorious  to  accompany  the  funeral  cortege  of  a  Moslem  even  for  a  few  paces, 

3  Otherwise  he  could  not  have  joined  in  the  prayers. 


The  Tale  of  Ghamm  bin  Ayyub.  47 

the  Koranic  perlection  till  nightfall,  when  the  servants  set  supper 
and  sweetmeats  *  before  them  and  they  ate  till  they  were  satisfied  ; 
then  they  washed  their  hands  and  again  took  their  places.  But 
Ghanim's  mind  was  preoccupied  with  his  house  and  goods,  being 
in  fear  of  robbers,  and  he  said  to  himself,  "  I  am  a  stranger  here  and 
supposed  to  have  money :  if  I  pass  the  night  abroad  the  thieves 
will  steal  my  money-bags  and  my  bales  to  boot."  So  when  he 
could  no  longer  control  his  fear  he  arose  and  left  the  assembly, 
having  first  asked  leave  to  go  about  some  urgent  business;  and 
following  the  signs  of  the  road  he  soon  came  to  the  city-gate.  But 
it  was  midnight  and  he  found  the  doors  locked  and  saw  none  going 
or  coming  nor  heard  aught  but  the  hounds  baying  and  the  wolves 
howling.  At  this  he  exclaimed,  "  There  is  no  Majesty  and  there 
is  no  Might  save  in  Allah !  I  was  in  fear  for  my  property  and 
came  back  on  its  account,  but  now  I  find  the  gate  shut  and 
I  am  in  mortal  fear  for  my  life!"  Then  he  turned  back  and, 
looking  out  for  a  place  where  he  could  sleep  till  morning,  pre- 
sently found  a  Santon's  tomb,  a  square  of  four  walls  with  a  date- 
tree  in  the  central  court  and  a  granite  gateway.  The  door  was 
wide  open;  so  he  entered  and  would  fain  have  slept, but  sleep  came 
not  to  him ;  and  terror  and  a  sense  of  desolation  oppressed  him, 
for  that  he  was  alone  amidst  the  tombs.  So  he  rose  to  his  feet 
and,  opening  the  door,  looked  out  and  lo !  he  was  ware  of  a  light 
afar  off  in  the  direction  of  the  city-gate ;  then  walking  a  little  way 
towards  it,  he  saw  that  it  was  on  the  road  whereby  he  had  reached 
the  tomb.  This  made  him  fear  for  his  life,  so  he  hastily  shut 
the  door  and  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  date-tree  where  he  hid 
himself  in  the  heart  of  the  fronds.  The  light  came  nearer  and 
nearer  till  it  was  close  to  the  tomb ;  then  it  stopped  and  he  saw 
three  slaves,  two  bearing  a  chest  and  one  with  a  lanthorn,  an  adze 
and  a  basket  containing  some  mortar.  When  they  reached  the 
tomb,  one  of  those  who  were  carrying  the  case  said,  "  What  aileth 
thee  O  Sawab?";  and  said  the  other,  "What  is  the  matter  O 
Kdfur?"2  Quoth  he,  "Were  we  not  here  at  supper-tide  and  did 
we  not  leave  the  door  open?"  "Yes,"  replied  the  other,  "that  is 
true."  "  See,"  said  Kafur,  "  now  it  is  shut  and  barred."  "  How 
weak  are  your  wits ! "  cried  the  third  who  bore  the  adze  and  his 


1  Arab.  *«  Halwa  "  made  of  sugar,  cream,  almonds,  etc.    That  of  Maskat  is  famous 
throughout  the  East. 

2  i.e.  "  Camphor  "  to  a  negro  as  we  say  "  Snowball,"  by  the  figure  antipbrase. 


48  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah.^ 

name  was  Bukhayt,1  "know  ye  not  that  the  owners  of  the  gardens 
use  to  come  out  from  Baghdad  and  tend  them  and,  when  evening 
closes  upon  them,  they  enter  this  place  and  shut  the  door,  for  fear 
lest  the  wicked  blackmen,  like  ourselves,  should  catch  them  and 
roast  'em  and  eat  'em."2  "  Thou  sayest  sooth,"  said  the  two  others, 
"  but  by  Allah,  however  that  may  be,  none  amongst  us  is  weaker 
of  wits  than  thou."  "  If  ye  do  not  believe  me,"  said  Bukhayt,  "  let 
us  enter  the  tomb  and  I  will  rouse  the  rat  for  you ;  for  I  doubt 
•not  but  that,  when  he  saw  the  light  and  us  making  for  the  place, 
he  ran  up  the  date-tree  and  hid  there  for  fear  of  us."  When 
Ghanim  heard  this,  he  said  in  himself,  "  O  curstest  of  slaves  1  May 
Allah  not  have  thee  in  His  holy  keeping  for  this  thy  craft  and 
keenness  of  wit !  There  is  no  Majesty  and  there  is  no  Might  save 
in  Allah,  the  Glorious,  the  Great !  How  shall  I  win  free  of  these 
blackamoors  ?"  Then  said  the  two  who  bore  the  box  to  him  of 
the  adze,  "  Swarm  up  the  wall  and  open  the  gate  for  us,  O 
Bukhayt,  for  we  are  tired  of  carrying  the  chest  on  our  necks; 
and  when  thou  hast  opened  the  gate  thou  shalt  have  one  of  those 
we  catch  inside,  a  fine  fat  rat  which  we  will  fry  for  thee  after  such 
excellent  fashion  that  not  a  speck  of  his  fat  shall  be  lost."  But 
Bukhayt  answered,  "  I  am  afraid  of  somewhat  which  my  weak 
wits  have  suggested  to  me :  we  should  do  better  to  throw  the  chest 
over  the  gateway ;  for  it  is  our  treasure."  "  If  we  throw  it  'twill 
break,"  replied  they;  and  he  said,  "I  fear  lest  there  be  robbers 
within  who  murder  folk  and  plunder  their  goods,  for  evening  is 
their  time  of  entering  such  places  and  dividing  their  spoil."  "  O 
thou  weak  o*  wits,"  said  both  the  bearers  of  the  box,  "  how  could 
they  ever  get  in  here  !"3  Then  they  set  down  the  chest  and  climb- 
ing over  the  wall  dropped  inside  and  opened  the  gate,  whilst  the 
third  slave  (he  that  was  called  Bukhayt)  stood  by  them  holding 
the  adze,  the  lanthorn  and  the  hand-basket  containing  the  mortar. 
After  this  they  locked  the  gate  and  sat  down ;  and  presently  one  of 
them  said,  "  O  my  brethren,  we  are  wearied  with  walking  and  with 
lifting  up  and  setting  down  the  chest,  and  with  unlocking  and 
locking  the  gate ;  and  now  'tis  midnight,  and  we  have  no  breath 


1  "  Little  Good  Luck,"  a  dim.  form  of  "  bakht  "  =  luck,  a  Persian  word  naturalized 
in  Egypt. 

8  There  are,  as  I  have  shown,  not  a  few  cannibal  tribes  in  Central  Africa  and  these  at 
times  find  their  way  into  the  slave  market. 

s  i.e.  After  we  bar  the  door. 


Tale  of  the  First  Eunuch,  Bukhayt.  49 

left  to  open,  a  tomb  and  bury  the  box :  so  let  us  rest  here  two  or 
three  hours,  then  rise  and  do  the  job.  Meanwhile  each  of  us  shall 
tell  how  he  came  to  be  castrated  and  all  that  befel  him  from  first 
to  last,  the  better  to  pass  away  our  time  while  we  take  our  rest." 
Thereupon  the  first,  he  of  the  lanthorn  and  whose  name  was 
Bukhayt,  said,  "  I'll  tell  you  my  tale."  "  Say  on,"  replied 
so  he  began  as  follows  the 


TALE  OF  THE  FIRST  EUNUCH,  BUKHA  YT. 

KNOW,  O  my  brothers,  that  when  I  was  a  little  one,  some  five 
years  old,  I  was  taken  home  from  my  native  country  by  a  slave- 
driver  who  sold  me  to  a  certain  Apparitor.1  My  purchaser  had  a 
daughter  three  years  old,  with  whom  I  was  brought  up,  and  they 
used  to  make  mock  of  me,  letting  me  play  with  her  and  dance  for 
her2  and  sing  to  her,  till  I  reached  the  age  of  twelve  and  she  that 
of  ten  ;  and  even  then  they  did  not  forbid  me  seeing  her.  One  day 
I  went  in  to  her  and  found  her  sitting  in  an  inner  room,  and  she 
looked  as  if  she  had  just  come  out  of  the  bath  which  was  in  the 
house  ;  for  she  was  scented  with  essences  and  reek  of  aromatic 
woods,  and  her  face  shone  like  the  circle  of  the  moon  on  the  four- 
teenth night.  She  began  to  sport  with  me,  and  I  with  her.  Now 
I  had  just  reached  the  age  of  puberty;  so  my  prickle  stood  at 
point,  as  it  were  a  huge  key.  Then  she  threw  me  on  my  back 
and,  mounting  astraddle  on  my  breast,  fell  a-wriggling  and 
a-bucking  upon  me  till  she  had  uncovered  my  yard.  When  she 
saw  it  standing  with  head  erect,  she  hent  it  in  hand  and  began 
rubbing  it  upon  the  lips  of  her  little  slit 3  outside  her  petticoat- 
trousers.  Thereat  hot  lust  stirred  in  me  and  I  threw  my  arms 


'Arab.  "Jawish"  from  Turk.  Chawush,  Chiaoosh,  a  sergeant,  poursuivant,  roytf 
messenger.  I  would  suggest  that  this  is  the  word  "  Shalish "  or  "Jalish"  in  Al- 
Siyuti's  History  of  the  Caliphs  (p.  501)  translated  by  Carlyle  "  milites,"  by  Schulteo* 
"  Sagittarius  "  and  by  Jarett  "  picked  troops." 

a  this  familiarity  with  blackamoor  slave-boys  is  common  in  Eygpt  and  often  ends  as 
in  the  story  :  Egyptian  blood  is  sufficiently  mixed  with  negro  to  breed  inclination  for 
miscegenation.  But  here  the  girl  was  wickedly  neglected  by  her  mother  at  such  an  age 
as  ten. 

3  Arab.  "  Far] ";  hence  a  facetious  designation  of  the  other  *ex  is  "Zawi'i-furoj" 
(grammatically  Zawatu'l-furuj)  =  habentes  rimam,  slit  ones. 

VOL.  II.  »  D 


5O  A  If  Laylah^^wa  Laylah. 

round  her,  while  she  wound  hers  aoout  my  neck  and  hugged  me  to 
her  with  all  her  might,  till,  before  I  knew  what  I  did,  my  pizzle 
split  up  her  trousers  and  entered  her  slit  and  did  away  her  maiden- 
head. When  I  saw  this,  I  ran  off  and  took  refuge  with  one  of  my 
comrades.  Presently  her  mother  came  in  to  her ;  and,  seeing  her 
in  this  case,  fainted  clean  away.  However  she  managed  the  matter 
advisedly  and  hid  it  from  the  girl's  father  out  of  good  will  to  me  ; 
nor  did  they  cease  to  call  to  me  and  coax  me,  till  they  took  me 
from  where  I  was.  After  two  months  had  passed  by,  her  mother 
married  her  to  a  young  man,  a  barber  who  used  to  shave  her  papa, 
and  portioned  and  fitted  her  out  of  her  own  monies ;  whilst  the 
father  knew  nothing  of  what  had  passed.  On  the  night  of  con- 
summation they  cut  the  throat  of  a  pigeon-poult  and  sprinkled  the 
blood  on  her  shift.1  After  a  while  they  seized  me  unawares  and 
gelded  me ;  and,  when  they  brought  her  to  her  bridegroom,  they 
made  me  her  Agha,2^  her  eunuch,  to  walk  before  her  wheresoever 
she  went,  whether  to  the  bath  or  to  her  father's  house.  I  abode 
with  her  a  long  time  enjoying  her  beauty  and  loveliness  by  way  of 
kissing  and  clipping  and  coupling  with  her,3  till  she  died,  and  her 
husband  and  mother  and  father  died  also;  when  they  seized  me 
for  the  Royal  Treasury  as  being  the  property  of  an  intestate,  and 
I  found  my  way  hither,  where  I  became  your  comrade.  This, 
then,  O  my  brethren,  is  the  cause  of  my  cullions  being  cut  off;  and 
peace  be  with  you !  He  ceased  and  his  fellow  began  in  these 
words  the 


1  This    ancient    and    venerable    practice  of   inspecting    the  marriage-sheet   is  still 
religiously  preserved  in  most  parts  of  the  East ;  and  in  old-fashioned  Moslem  families 
it  is  publicly   exposed  in  the   Harem   to   prove  that   the  "domestic  calamity"  (the 
daughter)  went  to  her  husband  a  clean  maid.    Also  the  general  idea  is  that  no  blood  will 
impose  upon  the  experts,  or  jury  of  matrons,  except  that  of  a  pigeon-poult  which  exactly 
resembles  hymeneal  blood — when   not  subjected   to  the   microscope.     This  belief  is 
universal  in  Southern  Europe  and  I  have  heard  of  it  in  England.     Further  details  will 
be  given  in  Night  ccxi. 

2  "Agha"  Turk.  =  sir,  gentleman,  is,  I  have  said,  politely  addressed  to  a  eunuch. 

8  As  Bukhayt  tells  us  he  lost  only  his  testes,  consequently  his  ereclio  et  distensio 
ptnis  was  as  that  of  a  boy  before  puberty  and  it  would  last  as  long  as  his  heart  and 
circulation  kept  sound.  Hence  the  eunuch  who  preserves  his  penis  is  much  prized  in 
the  Zenanah  where  some  women  prefer  him  to  the  entire  man,  on  account  of  his  long 
performance  of  the  deed  of  kind.  Of  this  more  in  a  future  page. 


Tale  of  the  Second  Eunuch^  Kafur.  51 


TALE    OF  THE  SECOND  EUNUCH,   KAFUR. 

KNOW,  O  my  brothers  that,  when  beginning  service  as  a  boy  of 
eight,  I  used  to  tell  the  slave-dealers  regularly  and  exactly  one  lie 
every  year,  so  that  they  fell  out  with  one  another,  till  at  last  my 
master  lost  patience  with  me  and,  carrying  me  down  to  the  market, 
ordered  the  brokers  to  cry,  "  Who  will  buy  this  slave,  knowing  his 
blemish  and  making  allowance  for  it  ? "  He  did  so  and  they  asked 
him,  "  Pray,  what  may  be  his  blemish  ? "  and  he  answered,  "  He 
telleth  me  one  single  lie  every  year."  Now  a  man  that  was  a 
merchant  came  up  and  said  to  the  broker,  "  How  much  do  they 
allow  for  him  with  his  blemish?"  "They  allow  six  hundred 
dirhams,"  he  replied ;  and  said  the  other,  "  Thou  shalt  have 
twenty  dirhams  for  thyself."  So  he  arranged  between  him  and 
the  slave-dealer  who  took  the  coin  from  him  and  the  broker 
carried  me  to  the  merchant's  house  and  departed,  after  receiving 
his  brokerage.  The  trader  clothed  me  with  suitable  dress,  and 
I  stayed  in  his  service  the  rest  of  my  twelvemonth,  until  the  new 
year  began  happily.  It  was  a  blessed  season,  plenteous  in  the 
produce  of  the  earth,  and  the  merchants  used  to  feast  every  day 
at  the  house  of  some  one  among  them,  till  it  was  my  master's  turn 
to  entertain  them  in  a  flower-garden  without  the  city.  So  he  and 
the  other  merchants  went  to  the  garden,  taking  with  them  all  that 
they  required  of  provaunt  and  else  beside,  and  *at  eating  and 
carousing  and  drinking  till  mid-day,  when  my  master,  having  need 
of  some  matter  from  his  home,  said  to  me,  "  O  slave,  mount  the 
she-mule  and  hie  thee  to  the  house  and  bring  from  thy  mistress 
such  and  such  a  thing  and  return  quickly."  I  obeyed  his  bidding 
and  started  for  the  house  but,  as  I  drew  near  it,  I  began  to  cry  out 
and  shed  tears,  whereupon  all  the  people  of  the  quarter  collected, 
^reat  and  small ;  and  my  master's  wife  and  daughters,  hearing  the 
noise  I  was  making,  opened  the  door  and  asked  me  what  was  the 
matter.  Said  I,  "  My  master  was  sitting  with  his  friends  beneath 
an  old  wall,  and  it  fell  on  one  and  all  of  them ;  and  when  I  saw 
what  had  happened  to  them,  I  mounted  the  mule  and  came  hither 
in  haste  to  tell  you."  When  my  master's  daughters  and  wife  heard 
this,  they  screamed  and  rent  their  raiment  and  beat  their  faces, 
whilst  the  neighbours  came  around  them.  Then  the  wife  over- 
turned Jlie  furniture  of  the  house,  one  thing  upon  another,  and  tore 


52  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

ciown  the  shelves  .and  broke  ihe  windows  and  the  -,  lattices  and 
smeared  the  walls  (with  mud  and  indigo,  saying  to  me,  "  Woe  to 
thee,  O  Kafur  !  come  help  me  to  tear  down  these  "cupboards  and 
break  up  these  vessels  and  this  china-ware,1  and  the  rest  of  it." 
So  I  went  to  her  and  aided  her  to  smash  all  the  shelves  in  the 
house  with  whatever  stood  upon  them,  after  which  I  went  round 
about  the  terrace-roofs  and  every  part  of  the  place,  spoiling  all 
I  could  and  leaving  no  china  in  the  hoyse  urfbroken  till  I  had  laid 
waste  the  whole,  crying  out  the  while  "Well-away!  my  master!" 
Then  my  mistress  fared  forth  bare-faced  wearing  a  head-kerchief 
and  naught  else,  and  her  daughters  and  the  children  sallied  out 
with  her,  and  said  to  me,  "O  Kafur,  go  thou  before  us  and  show  us 
the  place  where  thy  master  lieth  dead,  that  we  may  take  him  from 
under  the  fallen  wall  and  lay  him  on  a  bier  and  bear  him  to  the 
house  and  give  him  a  fine  funeral."  So  I  went  forth  before  them 
crying  out,  "  Alack,  my  master  !  "  ;  and  they  after  me  with  faces 
and  heads  bare  and  all  shrieking,  "  Alas  !  Alas  for  the  man  !  "  Now 
there  remained  none  in  the  quarter,  neither  man  nor  woman,  nor 
epicene,  nor  youth  nor  maid,  nor  child  nor  old  trot,  but  went 
with  us  smiting  their  faces  and  weeping  bitterly,  and  I  led  them 
leisurely  through  the  whole  city.  The  folk  asked  them  what  was 
the  matter,  whereupon  they  told  them  what  they  had  heard  from 
me,  and  all  exclaimed,"  There  is  no  Majesty  and  there  is  no  Might 
save  in  Allah  !  "  Then  said  one  of  them,  "  He  was  a  personage  of 
consequence  ;  so  let  us  go  to  the  Governor  and  tell  him  what  hath 
befallen  him."  When  they  told  the  Governor,  --  And  Shahrazad 
perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


fo&en  ft  foa»  tfte  Jporttetf) 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  they 
told   the  Governor,  he  rose  and   mounted   and,  taking  with  him 


1  It  is  or  rather  was  the  custom  in  Egypt  and  Syria  to  range  long  rows  of  fine  China 
bowls  along  the  shelves  running  round  the  rooms  at  the  height  of  six  or  seven  feet,  and 
they  formed  a  magnificent  cornice.  I  bought  many  of  them  at  Damascus  till  the 
people,  learning  their  value,  asked  prohibitive  prices. 

a  The  tale  is  interesting  as  well  as  amusing,  excellently  describing  the  extravagances 
still  practised  in  middle-class  Moslem  families  on  the  death  of  the  pater  familias.  I  must 
again  note  that  Arab  women  are  much  more  unwilling  to  expose  the  back  of  the  head 
covered  by  the  "Tarhah"  (head-veil)  than  the  face,  which  is  hidden  by  the  "Burka" 
or  nose-bag. 


Tale  of  the  Second  Eunuch,  Kafur.  53 

labourers,  with  spades  and  baskets,  went  on  my  track,  with  many 
people  behind  him  ;  and  I  ran  on  before  them,  howling  and  casting 
dust  on  my  head  and  beating  my  face,  followed  by  my  mistress  and 
her  children  keening  for  the  dead.  But  I  got  ahead  of  them  and 
entered  the  garden  before  them,  and  when  my  master  saw  me  in 
this  state,  I  smiting  my  face  and  saying, "  Well-away !  my  mistress  | 
Alas  !  Alas !  Alas  !  who  is  left  to  take  pity  on  me,  now  that  my 
mistress  is  gone  ?  Would  I  had  been  a  sacrifice  for  her!",  he  stood 
aghast  and  his  colour  waxed  yellow  and  he  said  to  me,  "What 
aileth  thee  O  Kafur!  What  is  the  matter?"  "O  my  lord,"  I 
replied,  "when  thou  sentest  me  to  the  house,  I  found  that  the 
saloon-wall  had  given  way  and  had  fallen  like  a  layer  upon  my. 
mistress  and  her  children  !  "  "  And  did  not  thy  mistress  escape  ? " 
"  No,  by  Allah,  O  my  master ;  not  one  of  them  was  saved  ;  the 
first  to  die  was  my  mistress,  thine  elder  daughter ! "  "  And  did  not 
my  younger  daughter  escape  ?  ";  "  No,  she  did  not !  "  "  And  what 
became  of  the  mare-mule  I  use  to  ride,  is  she  safe  ?  "  "  No,  by 
Allah,  O  my  master,  the  house-walls  and  the  stable-walls  buried 
every  living  thing  that  was  within  doors,  even  to  the  sheep  and 
geese  and  poultry,  so  that  they  all  became  a  heap  of  flesh  and  the 
dogs  and  cats  are  eating  them  and  not  one  of  them  is  left  alive." 
"And  hath  not  thy  master,  my  elder  son,  escaped  ? "  "  No,  by  Allah ! 
not  one  of  them  was  saved,  and  now  there  is  naught  left  of  house 
or  household,  nor  even  a  sign  of  them  :  and,  as  for  the  sheep  and 
geese  and  hens,  the  cats  and  dogs  have  devoured  them."  When 
my  master  heard  this  the  light  became  night  before  his  sight ;  his 
wits  were  dazed  and  he  so  lost  command  of  his  senses  that  he  could 
not  stand  firm  on  his  feet :  he  was  as  one  struck  with  a  sudden 
palsy  and  his  back  was  like  to  break.  Then  he  rent  his  raiment 
and  plucked  out  his  beard  and,  casting  his  turband  from  off  his 
head,  buffetted  his  face  till  the  blood  ran  down  and  he  cried  aloud, 
"  Alas,  my  children  !  Alas,  my  wife !  Alas,  my  calamity !  To  whom 
ever  befel  that  which  hath  befallen  me?"  The  merchants,  his 
friends,  also  cried  aloud  at  his  crying  and  wept  for  his  weeping  and 
tore  their  clothes,  being  moved  to  pity  of  his  case ;  and  so  my 
master  went  out  of  the  garden,  smiting  his  face  with  such  violence 
that  from  excess  of  pain  he  staggered  like  one  drunken  with  wine. 
As  he  and  the  merchants  came  forth  from  the  garden-gate,  behold, 
they  saw  a  great  cloud  of  dust  and  heard  a  loud  noise  of  crying 
and  lamentation;  so  they  looked  and  lo!  it  was  the  Governor 
with  his  attendants  and  the  townsfolk,  a  world  of  people,  who  had 


54  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

come  out  to  look  on,  and  my  master's  family  following  them,  all 
screaming  and  crying  aloud  and  weeping  exceeding  sore  weeping 
The  first  to  address  my  owner  were  his  wife  and  children  ;  and  when 
he  saw  them  he  was  confounded  and  laughed  *  and  said  to  them, 
"  How  is  it  with  all  of  you  and  what  befel  you  in  the  house  and 
\vhat  hath  come  to  pass  to  you  ? "     When  they  saw  him   they 
exclaimed,  "  Praise  be  to  Allah  for  thy  preservation  ! "  and  threw 
themselves  upon  him  and  his  children  hung  about   him   crying, 
"Alack,  our  fathertJThanks  to  Allah  for  thy  safety,  O  our  father!" 
And  his  wife  said  to  him,  "Art  thou  indeed  well  ?   Laud  to  Allah 
who  hath  shown  us  thy  face  in  safety !  "   And  indeed  she  was  con- 
founded and  her  reason  fled  when  she  saw  him,  and  she  asked,  "  O, 
my  lord,  how  didst  thou  escape,  thou  and  thy  friends  the  mer- 
chants?"; and  he  answered  her,  "And  how  fared  it  with  thee  in 
the  house  ?  "     Quoth  they,  "We  were  all  well,  whole  and  healthy, 
nor  hath  aught  of  evil  befallen  us  in  the  house,  save  that  thy  slave 
Kafur  came  to  us,  bareheaded  with  torn  garments  and  howling : — 
Alas,  the  master !  Alas  the  master  1  So  we  asked  him  : — What 
tidings,  O  Kafur?  and  he  answered  : — A  wall  of  the  garden  hath 
fallen  on  my  master  and  his  friends  the  merchants,  and  they  are  all 
crushed  and  dead!"  "  By  Allah,"  said  my  master,  "he  came  to 
me  but  now  howling  : — Alas,  my  mistress  !    Alas,  the  children  of 
the   mistress !,  and  said  : — My   mistress  and  her  children  are  all 
dead,  every  one  of  them !  "    Then  he  looked  round  and  seeing  me 
with  my  turband  rent  in  rags  round  my  neck,  howling  and  weeping 
•with  exceeding  weeping  and  throwing  dust  upon  my  head,  he  cried 
out  at  rne.     So  I  came  to  him  and  he  said,  "  Woe  to  thee,  O  ill- 
omened  slave  !  O  whoreson  knave!  O  thou  damned  breed  !   What 
mischief  thou  hast  wrought  ?     By  Allah  !   I  will  flog  thy  skin  from 
thy  flesh  and  cut  thy  flesh  from  thy  bones ! "     I  rejoined,  "  By 
Allah,  thou  canst  do  nothing  of  the  kind  with  me,  O  my  lord,  for 
thou  boughtest  me  with  my  blemish  ;  and  there  are  honest  men  to 
bear  witness  against  thee  that  thou  didst  so  accepting  the  con- 
dition, and  that  thou  knewest  of  my  fault  which  is  to  tell  one  lie 
every  year.     Now  this  is  only  a  half-lie,  but  by  the  end  of  the 
year  I  will  tell  the  other  half,  then  will  the  lie  stand  whole  and 
complete."     "  O  dog,  son  of  a  dog  !  ",  cried  my  master,  "  O  most 
accursed  of  slaves,  is  this  all  of  it  but  a  half-lie  ?    Verily  if  it  be 
a  half-lie  'tis  a  whole  calamity !    Get  thee  from  me,  thou  art  free  in 

1  The  usual  hysterical  laughter  of  this  nervous  race. 


Tale  of  the  Second  Eunuch,  Kafur.  55 

the  face  of  Allah  ! "  "  By  Allah,"  rejoined  I,  if  thou  free  me,  I 
will  not  free  thee  till  my  year  is  completed  and  I  have  told  theethe 
half-lie  which  is  left.  When  this  is  done,  go  down  with  me  to  the 
slave-market  and  sell  me  as  thou  boughtest  me  to  whoso  will  buy 
me  with  my  blemish  ;  but  thou  shalt  not  manumit  me,  for  I  have 
no  handicraft  whereby  to  gain  my  living  ; 1  and  this  my  demand  is 
a  matter  of  law  which  the  doctors  have  laid  down  in  the  Chapter  of 
Emancipation."2  While  we  were  at  these  words,  up  came  the  crowd 
of  people,  and  the  neighbours  of  the  quarter,  men,  women  and 
children,  together  with  the  Governor  and  his  suite  offering  con- 
dolence. So  my  master  and  the  other  merchants  went  up  to  him 
and  informed  him  of  the  adventure,  and  how  this  was  but  a  half-lie, 
at  which  all  wondered,  deeming  it  a  whole  lie  and  a  big  one.  And 
they  cursed  me  and  reviled  me,  while  I  stood  laughing  and  grinning 
at  them,  till  at  last  I  asked,  "How  shall  my  master  slay  me  when 
he  bought  me  with  this  my  blemish  ?  "  Then  my  master  returned 
home  and  found  his  house  in  ruins,  and  it  was  I  who  had  laid  waste 
the  greater  part  of  it,3  having  broken  things  which  were  worth 
much  money,  as  also  had  done  his  wife,  who  said  to  him,  "  'Twas 
Kafur  who  broke  the  vessels  and  chinaware."  Thereupon  his  rage 
redoubled  and  he  struck  hand  upon  hand  exclaiming,  "  By  Allah  ! 
in  my  life  never  saw  I  a  whoreson  like  this  slave  ;  and  he  saith  this 
is  but  a  half-lie  !  How,  then,  if  he  had  told  me  a  whole  lie  ?  He 
would  ruin  a  city,  aye  or  even  two."  Then  in  his  fury  he  went  to 
the  Governor,  and  they  gave  me  a  neat  thing  in  the  bastinado-line 
and  made  me  eat  stick  till  I  was  lost  to  the  world  and  a  fainting- 
fit came  on  me ;  and,  whilst  I  was  yet  senseless,  they  brought  the 
barber  who  docked  me  and  gelded  me4  and  cauterised  the  wound. 


1  Here  the  slave  refuses  to  be  set  free  and  starve.     For  a  master  so  to  do  without 
ample  reason  is  held  disgraceful.     I  well  remember  the  weeping  and  wailing  throughout 
Sind  when  an  order  from  Sir  Charles  Napier  set  free  the  negroes  whom  British  philan- 
thropy thus  doomed  to  endure  if  not  to  die  of  hunger. 

2  Manumission,  which  is  founded  upon  Roman  law,  is  an  extensive  subject  discussed 
in  the  Hiddyah  and  other  canonical  works.    The  slave  here  lays  down  the  law  incorrectly, 
but  his  claim  shows  his  truly  "  nigger  "  impudence. 

3  This  is  quite  true  to  nature.    The  most  remarkable  thing  in  the  wild  central  African 
is  his  enormous  development  of  "destructiveness."    At  Zanzibar  I  never  saw  a  slave 
break  a  glass  or  plate  without  a  grin  or  a  chuckle  of  satisfaction. 

*  Arab.  «  Khass^-niM;  Khusyatani  (vulg.) i  being  the  testicles,  also  called  "bayzatin" 
(the  two  eggs)  a  double  entendre  which  has  given  rise  to  many  tales.  For  instance  in  the 
witty  Persian  book  "  Dozd  o  Kazi "  (The  Thief  and  the  Judge)  a  footpad  strips  the  man 
of  learning  and  offers  to  return  his  clothes  if  he  can  ask  him  a  puzzle  in  law  or  religion. 


56  A  If  Laylak  wa  Lay t ah. 

When  I  revived  I  found  myself  a  clean  eunuch  with  nothing  left, 
and  my  master  said  to  me,  "  Even  as  thou  hast  burned  my  heart 
for  <the  things  I  held  dearest,  so  have  I  burnt  thy  heart  for  that 
of  thy  members  whereby  thou  settest  most  store  ! "  Then  he  took 
me  and  sold  me  at  a  profit,  for  that  I  was  become  an  eunuch.  And 
I  ceased  not  bringing  trouble  upon  all,  wherever  I  was  sold,  and 
was  shifted  from  lord  to  lord  and  from  notable  to  notable,  being 
sold  and  being  bought,  till  I  entered  the  palace  of  the  Commander 
of  the  Faithful.  But  now  my  spirit  is  broken  and  my  tricks  are 
gone  from  me,  so — alas  ! — are  my  ballocks.  When  the  two  slaves 
heard  his  history,  they  laughed  at  him  and  chaffed  him  and  said, 
'<  Truly  thou  art  skite1  and  skite-son  !  Thou  liedest  an  odious  lie." 
Then  quoth  they  to  the  third  slave,  "  Tell  us  thy  tale."  "  O  sons 
of  my  uncle,"  quoth  he,  "all  that  ye  have  said  is  idle :  I  will  tell 
you  the  cause  of  my  losing  my  testicles,  and  indeed  I  deserved  to 
lose  even  more,  for  I  futtered  both  my  mistress  and  my  master's 
eldest  son  and  heir :  but  my  story  is  a  long  one  and  this  is  not  the 
time  to  tell  it;  for  the  dawn,  O  my  cousins,  draweth  near  and  if 
morning  come  upon  us  with  this  chest  still  unburied,  we  shall  get 
into  sore  disgrace  and  our  lives  will  pay  for  it.  So  up  with  you 
and  open  the  door  and,  when  we  get  back  to  the  palace,  I  will  tell 
you  my  story  and  the  cause  of  my  losing  my  precious  stones." 
Then  he  swarmed  up  and  dropped  down  from  the  wall  inside  and 
opened  the  door,  so  they  entered  and,  setting  down  the  lantern,  dug 
between  four  tombs  a  hole  as  long  as  the  chest  and  of  the  same 
breadth.  Kafur  plied  the  spade  and  Sawab  removed  the  earth  by 
baskets-full  till  they  reached  the  depth  of  the  stature  of  a  man  ;2 
when  they  laid  the  chest  in  the  hole  and  threw  back  the  earth  over 
it :  then  they  went  forth  and  shutting  the  door  disappeared  from 
Ghanim's  eyes.  When  all  was  quiet  and  he  felt  sure  that  he  was 
left  alone  in  the  place,  his  thought  was  busied  about  what  the  chest 

The  Kazi  (in  folk-lore  mostly  a  fool)  fails,  and  his  wife  bids  him  ask  the  man  to  supper 
for  a  trial  of  wits  on  the  same  condition.  She  begins  with  compliments  and  ends  by 
producing  five  eggs  which  she  would  have  him  distribute  equally  amongst  the  three ;  and, 
when  he  is  perplexed,  she  gives  one  to  each  of  the  men  taking  three  for  herself.  Where- 
upon the  "Dozd"  wends  his  way,  having  lost  his  booty  as  his  extreme  stupidity  deserved. 
In  the  text  the  eunuch,  Kafur,  is  made  a  "  Sandali  "  or  smooth-shaven,  so  that  he  was  of 
no  use  to  women. 

1  Arab.  "  Khara,"  the  lowest  possible  word  :  Yd  Khara  !  is  the  commonest  of  insults, 
used  also  by  modest  women.  I  have  heard  one  say  it  to  her  son. 

*  Arab.  "  Kamah,  a  measure  of  length,  a  fathom,  also  called  "Ba'a."  Both  are 
omitted  in  that  sadly  superficial  book,  Lane's  Modern  Egyptians,  App.  B 


The  Tale  of  Ghanim  bin  Ayyub.  57 

contained  and  he  said  to  himself,  "Would  that  I  knew  the  contents 
of  that  box  !  "     However,  he  waited  till  day  broke,  when  morning 
shone  and  showed  her  sheen  :  whereupon  he  came  down  from  the 
date-tree  and  scooped  away  the  earth  with  his  hands,  till  the  box 
was  laid  bare  and  disengaged  from  the  ground.     Then  he  took  a 
large  stone  and  hammered  at  the  lock  till  he  broke  it  and,  opening 
the  lid,  beheld  a  young  lady,  a  model  of  beauty  and  loveliness,  clad 
in  the  richest  of  garments  and  jewels  of  gold  and  such  necklaces 
of  precious  stones  that,  were  the  Sultan's  country  evened  with 
them,  it  would  not  pay  their  price.     She  had  been  drugged  with 
Bhang,  but  her  bosom,  rising  and  falling,  showed  that  her  breath 
had  not  departed.     When  Ghanim  saw  her,  he  knew  that  some 
one  had  played  her  false  and  hocussed   her;   so  he  pulled  her 
out   of  the  chest  and  laid  her  on  the  ground  with  her  face  up- 
wards.    As  soon  as  she  smelt  the  breeze  and  the  air  entered  her 
nostrils,  mouth  and  lungs,  she  sneezed  and  choked  and  coughed ; 
when  there  fell  from  out  her  throat  a  pill  of  Cretan  Bhang,  had  an 
elephant  smelt  it  he  would  have  slept  from  night  to  night.     Then 
she  opened  her  eyes  and  glancing  around  said,  in  sweet  voice  and 
gracious  words,  "  Woe  to  thee  O  wind  !  there  is  naught  in  thee  to 
satisfy  the  thirsty,  nor  aught  to  gratify  one  whose  thirst  is  satis- 
fied !     Where  is  Zahr  al-Bostan  ? "     But  no  one  answered  her,  so 
she  turned  her  and  cried  out,  "  Ho  Sabfhah !    Shajarat  al-Durr! 
Nural-Huda!  Najmat  al-Subh !  be  ye  awake?   Shahwah,  Nuzhah, 
Halwd,  Zarffah,  out  on  you,  speak!1"     But  no  one  answered;  so 
she  looked  all  around  and  said,  "  Woe's  me !  have  they  entombed 
me  in  the  tombs  ?     O  Thou  who  knowest  what  man's  thought 
enwombs  and  who  givest  compensation  on  the  Day  of  Doom,  who 
can  have  brought  me  from  amid  hanging  screens  and   curtains 
veiling  the  Han'm-rooms  and  set  me  down  between  four  tombs?" 
All  this  while  Ghanim  was  standing  by :  then  he  said  to  her,  "  O 
my  lady,  here  are  neither  screened  rooms  nor  palace-Harfms  nor 
yet  tombs  ;  only  the  slave  henceforth  devoted  to  thy  love,  Ghanim 
bin  Ayyub,  sent  to  thee  by  the  Omniscient  One  above,  that  all 
thy  troubles  He  rriay  remove  and  win  for  thee  every  wish  that 
doth  behove ! "     Then  he  held  his  peace.     She  was  reassured  by 


1  Names  of  her  slave-girls  which  mean  (in  order),  Garden-bloom,  Dawn  (or"  Beautiful), 
Tree  o'  Pearl  (P.  N.  of  Saladin's  wife),  Light  of  (right)  Direction,  Star  o*  the  Morn. 
Lewdness  (  =  Shahwah,  I  suppose  this  is  a  chaff),  Delight,  Sweetmeat  and  Miss 

Pretty. 


58  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

his  words  and  cried,  "  I  testify  that  there  is  no  god  but  the  God, 
and  I  testify  that  Mohammed  is  the  Apostle  of  God ! " ;  then  she 
turned  to  Ghanim  and,  placing  her  hands  before  her  face,  said  to 
him  in  the  sweetest  speech,  "  Q  blessed  youth,  who  brought  me 
hither?  See,  I  am  now  come  to  myself."  "O  my  lady,"  he 
replied,  "  three  slave-eunuchs  came  here  bearing  this  chest ; "  and 
related  to  her  the  whole  of  what  had  befallen  him,  and  how 
evening  having  closed  upon  him  had  proved  the  cause  of  her  pre- 
servation, otherwise  she  had  died  smothered.1  Then  he  asked 
her  who  she  was  and  what  was  her  story,  and  she  answered,  "  O 
youth,  thanks  be  to  Allah  who  hath  cast  me  into  the  hands  of  the 
like  of  thee !  But  now  rise  and  put  me  back  into  the  box ;  then 
fare  forth  upon  the  road  and  hire  the  first  camel-driver  or  muleteer 
thou  findest  to  carry  it  to  thy  house.  When  I  am  there,  all  will 
be  well  and  I  will  tell  thee  my  tale  and  acquaint  thee  with  my 
adventures,  and  great  shall  be  thy  gain  by  means  of  me."  At  this 
he  rejoiced  and  went  outside  the  tomb.  The  day  was  now  dazzling 
bright  and  the  firmament  shone  with  light  and  the  folk  had  begun 
to  circulate ;  so  he  hired  a  man  with  a  mule  and,  bringing  him  to 
the  tomb,  lifted  the  chest  wherein  he  had  put  the  damsel  and  set 
it  on  the  mule.  Her  love  now  engrossed  his  heart  and  he  fared 
homeward  with  her  rejoicing,  for  that  she  was  a  girl  worth  ten 
thousand  gold  pieces  and  her  raiment  and  ornaments  would  fetch 
a  mint  of  money.  As  soon  as  he  arrived  at  his  house  he  carried  in 

the  chest  and  opening  it And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn 

of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


Jgofo  fojjen  it  foa&  tfte  Jfortp-fitst 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when 
Ghanim  son  of  Ay'yub  arrived  with  the  chest  at  his  house,  he 
opened  it  and  took  out  the  young  lady,  who  looked  about  her  and, 
seeing  that  the  place  was  handsome,  spread  with  carpets  and  dight 
with  cheerful  colours  and  other  deckings;  and  noting  the  stuffs 
up-piled  and  packed  bales  and  other  else  than  that,  knew  that  he 
was  a  substantial  merchant  and  a  man  of  much  money.  There- 
upon she  uncovered  her  face  and  looked  at  him,  and  lo !  he  was  a 


1  This  mode  of  disposing  of  a  rival  was  very  common  in  Harems.     But  it  had  its 
difficulties  and  on  the  whole  the  river  was  (and  is)  preferred. 


The  Tale  of  Chanim  bin  Ayyub.  59 

fair  youth  ;  so  when  she  saw  him  she  loved  him  and  said,  "  O  my 
lord,  bring  us  something  to  eat."  "  On  my  head  and  mine  eyes  ! " 
replied  he  ;  and,  going  down  to  the  bazar,  bought  a  roasted  lamb 
and  a  dish  of  sweetmeats  and  with  these  dry  fruits  and  wax- 
candles,  besides  wine  and  whatsoever  was  required  of  drinking 
materials,  not  forgetting  perfumes.  With  all  this  gear  he  returned 
to  the  house ;  and  when  the  damsel  saw  him  she  laughed  and 
kissed  him  and  clasped  his  neck.  Then  she  began  caressing  him, 
which  made  his  love  wax  hotter  till  it  got  the  mastery  of  "his 
heart.  They  ate  and  drank  and  each  had  conceived  the  fondest 
affection  ;  for  indeed  the  two  were  one  in  age  and  one  in  loveli- 
ness; and  when  night  came  on  Ghanim  bm  Ayyub,  the  Dis- 
traught, the  Thrall  o'  Love,  rose  and  lit  the  wax  candles  and 
lamps  till  the  place  blazed  with  light ; *  after  which  he  produced 
the  wine-service  and  spread  the  table.  Then  both  sat  down  again, 
he  and  she,  and  he  kept  filling  and  giving  her  to  drink,  and  she 
kept  filling  and  giving  him  to  drink,  and  they  played  and  toyed 
and  laughed  and  recited  verses;  whilst  their  joy  increased  and 
they  clove  in  closer  love  each  to  each  (glory  be  to  the  Uniter  of 
Hearts!).  They  ceased  not  to  carouse  after  this  fashion  till  near 
upon  dawn  when  drowsiness  overcame  them  and  they  slept  where 
they  were,  apart  each  from  other,  till  the  morning.2  Then  Ghanim 
arose  and  going  to  the  market,  bought  all  they  required  of  meat 
and  vegetables  and  wine  and  what  not,  and  brought  them  to  the 
house ;  whereupon  both  sat  down  to  eat  and  ate  their  sufficiency, 
when  he  set  on  wine.  They  drank  and  each  played  with  each,  till 
their  cheeks  flushed  red  and  their  eyes  took  a  darker  hue  and 
Ghanim's  soul  longed  to  kiss  the  girl  and  to  lie  with  her  and  he 
said, "  O  my  lady,  grant  me  one  kiss  of  that  dear  mouth :  per- 
chance 't  will  quench  the  fire  of  my  heart."  "  O  Ghanim,"  replied 
she,  "  wait  till  I  am  drunk  and  dead  to  the  world ;  then  steal  a 
kiss  of  me,  secretly  and  on  such  wise  that  I  may  not  know  thou 
hast  kissed  me."  Then  she  rose  and  taking  off  her  upper  dress  sat 
in  a  thin  shift  of  fine  linen  and  a  silken  head-kerchief.8  At  this 
passion  inflamed  Ghanim  and  he  said  to  her,  "  O  my  lady,  wilt 


1  An  Eastern  dislikes  nothing  more  than  drinking  in  a  dim  dingy  place  :  the  brightest 
lights  seem  to  add  to  his  "  drinkitite." 

2  He  did  not  sleep  with  her  because  he  suspected  some  palace-mystery  which  sug- 
gested prudence,  she  also  had  her  reasons. 

3  This  is  called  in  Egypt  "  Aslah"  (Lane  M.  E.  chapt.  i.)- 


6o      .    •  A  If  Lay  la  h  wa  Laylak. 

thou  notVvouchsafe  me  what  I  asked  of  thee  ?"  "By  Allah,"  she 
replied,  "that  may  not  be  thine,  for  there  is  written  upon  my 
trouser-string  *  a  hard  word !  "  Thereupon  Ghanim's  heart  sank 
and  desire  grew  on  him  as  its  object  offered  difficulties ;  and  he 
improvised  these  verses  : — 

I  asked  the  author  of  mine  ills       o  To  heal  the  wound  with  one  sweet  kiss  : 
No  !  No  !  she  cried,2  for  ever  no  !      o  But  I,  soft  whispering,  urged  yes  : 
Quoth  she,  Then  take  it  by  my  leave,  o  When  smiles  shall  pardon  thine  amiss  : 
By  force,  cried  I  ?  Nay,  she  replied  o  With  love  and  gladness  eke  I  wis. 
Now  ask  me  not  what  next  occurred  o  Seek  grace  of  God  and  whist  of  this ! 
Deem  what  thou  wilt  of  us,  for  love  o  By  calumnies  the  sweeter  is  : 
Nor  after  this  care  I  one  jot  o  Whether  my  foe  be  known  or  not. 

Then  his  affection  increased  and  love-fires  rose  hotter  in  his  heart, 
while  she  refused  herself  to  him  saying,  "  Thou  canst  not  possess 
me."  >  They  ceased  not  to  make  love  and  enjoy  their  wine  and 
wassail,  whilst  Ghanim  was  drowned  in  the  sea  of  love  and  longing ; 
but  she  redoubled  in  coyness  and  cruelty  till  the  night  brought  on 
the  darkness  and  let  fall  on  them  the  skirts  of  sleep.  Thereupon 
Ghanim  rose  and  lit  the  lamps  and  wax-candles,  and  refreshed  the 
room  and  removed  the  table  ;  then  he  took  her  feet  and  kissed 
them  and,  finding  them  like  fresh  cream,  pressed  his  face3  on  them 
and  said  to  her,  "  O  my  lady,  take  pity  on  one  thy  love  hath  ta'en 
and  thine  eyes  hath  slain  ;  for  indeed  I  were  heart-whole  but  for 
thy  bane ! "  And  he  wept  somewhat.  "  O  my  lord,  and  light  of 
my  eyes,"  quoth  she,  "  by  Allah,  I  love  thee  in  very  sooth  and  I 
trust  to  thy  truth,  but  I  know  that  I  may  not  be  thine."  "And 
what  is  the  obstacle  ? "  asked  he  ;  when  she  answered, "  To-night  I 
will  tell  thee  my  tale,  that  thou  mayst  accept  my  excuse."  Then 
she  threw  herself  upon  him  and  winding  her  arms  like  a  necklace 
about  his  neck,  kissed  him  and  caressed  him  and  promised  him 
her  favours ;  and  they  ceased  not  playing  and  laughing  till  love 
gat  the  firmest  hold  upon  both  their  hearts.  '  And  so  it  continued 
a  whole  month,  both  passing  the  night  on  a  single  carpet-bed,  but 
whenever  he  would  enjoy  her,  she  put  him  off;  whilst  mutual  love 


1  It  would  be  a  broad  ribbon-like  band  upon  which  the  letters  could  be  worked. 

*  In  the  Arab.  «h*  cried."  These  "Yes,  Yes!  and  No  I  No!"  trifles  ^are  very 
common  amongst  the  Arabs. 

5  Arab.  "  Maragha "  lit.  rubbed  his  face  on  them  like  a  fawning  dog.  Ghanim  is 
another  "softy"  lover,  a  favourite  character  in  Arab  tales;  and  by  way  of  contrast, 
the  girl  is  masterful  enough./ 


The  Tale  of  Ghanim  bin  Ayyub.  6l 

increased  upon  them  and  each  could  hardly  abstain  from  other. 
One  night,  as  he  lay  by  her  side,  and  both  were  warm  with  wine, 
Ghanim  passed  his  hand  over  her  breasts  and  stroked  them  ;  then 
he  slipped  it  down  to  her  waist  as  far  as  her  navel.  She  awoke 
and,  sitting  up,  put  her  hand  to  her  trousers  and  finding  them  fast 
tied,  once  more  fell  asleep.  Presently,  he  again  felt  her  and  sliding 
his  hand  down  to  her  trouser-string,  began  pulling  at  it,  whereupon 
she  awoke  and  sat  upright.  ^Ghanim  also  sat  up  by  her  side  and 
she  asked  him,  "  What  dost  thou  want  ? "  "  I  want  to  lie  with 
thee,"  he  answered,  "  and  that  we  may  deal  openly  and  frankly 
with  each  other."  Quoth  she,  "  I  must  now  declare  to  thee  my 
case,  that  thou  mayst  know  my  quality ;  then  will  my  secret  be 
disclosed  to  thee  and  my  excuse  become  manifest  to  thee."  Quoth 
he,  "  So  be  it ! "  Thereat  she  opened  the  skirt  of  her  shift  and, 
taking  up  her  trouser-string,  said  to  him,  "O  my  lord,  read  what 
is  worked  on  the  flat  of  this  string : "  so  he  took  it  in  hand,  and 
saw  these  words  broidered  on  it  in  gold,  "  I  AM  THINE,  AND 
THOU  ART  MINE,  O  COUSIN  OF  THE  APOSTLE!"1 
When  he  read  this,  he  withdrew  his  hand  and  said  to  her,  "  Tell 
me  who  thou  art ! "  "  So  be  it,"  answered  she  ;  "  know  that  I 
am  one  of  the  concubines  of  the  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  and 
my  name  is  Kut  al-Kulub — the  Food  of  Hearts.  I  was  brought 
up  in  his  palace  and,  when  I  grew  to  woman's  estate,  he  looked 
on  me  and,  noting  what  share  of  beauty  and  loveliness  the  Creator 
had  given  me,  loved  me  with  exceeding  love,  and  assigned  me  a 
separate  apartment,  and  gave  me  ten  slave-girls  to  wait  on  me 
and  all  these  ornaments  thou  seest  me  wearing.  On  a  certain 
day  he  set  out  for  one  of  his  provinces,  and  the  Lady  Zubaydah 
came  to  one  of  the  slave-girls  in  my  service  and  said  to  her: — 
I  have  something  to  require  of  thee.  What  is  it,  O  my  lady  ? 
asked  she  and  the  Caliph's  wife  answered  : — When  thy  mistress 
Kut  al-Kulub  is  asleep,  put  this  piece  of  Bhang  into  her  nostrils 
or  drop  it  into  her  drink,  and  thou  shalt  have  of  me  as  much  money 
as  will  satisfy  thee.  With  love  and  gladness  ;  replied  the  girl  and 
took  the  Bhang  from  her,  being  a  glad  woman  because  of  the 
money  and  because  aforetime  she  had  been  one  of  Zubaydah's 
slaves.  So  she  put  the  Bhang  in  my  drink,  and  when  it  was  night 
I  drank,  and  the  drug  had  no  sooner  settled  in  my  stomach  than 

1  Because  the  Abbaside  Caliphs  descend  from  AI-Abbas  paternal  uncle  of  Mohammed. 
The  text  means  more  explicitly,  "  O  descendant  of  the  Prophet's  unck  I " 


62  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

I  fell  to  the  ground,  my  head  touching  my  feet,  and  knew  naught 
of  my  life  but  that  I  was  in  another  world.  When  her  device 
succeeded,  she  bade  put  me  in  this  chest,  and  secretly  brought  in 
the  slaves  and  the  doorkeepers  and  bribed  them  ;  and,  on  the  night 
when  thou  wast  perched  upon  the  date-tree,  she  sent  the  blacks  to- 
do  with  me  as  thou  sawest.  So  my  delivery  was  at  thy  hands,  and 
thou  broughtest  me  to  this  house  and  hast  entreated  me  honourably 
and  with  thy  kindest.  This  is  my  story,  and  I  wot  not  what  is 
become  of  the  Caliph  during  my  absence.  Know  then  my  con- 
dition and  divulge  not  my  case."  When  Ghanim  heard  her  words 
and  knew  that  she  was  a  concubine  of  the  Caliph,  he  drew  back, 
for  awe  of  the  Caliphate  beset  him,  and  sat  apart  from  her  in  one 
of  the  corners  of  the  place,  blaming  himself  and  brooding  over  his 
affair  and  patiencing  his  heart  bewildered  for  love  of  one  he  could 
not  possess.  Then  he  wept  for  excess  of  longing,  and  plained  him 
of  Fortune  and  her  injuries,  and  the  world  and  its  enmities  (and 
praise  be  to  Him  who  causeth  generous  hearts  to  be  troubled  with 
love  and  the  beloved,  and  who  endoweth  not  the  minds  of  the  mean 
and  miserly  with  so  much  of  it  as  eveneth  a  grain-weight !).  So 
he  began  repeating: — 

The  lover's  heart  for  his  beloved  must  meet  o    Sad  pain,  and  from  her  charms 

bear  sore  defeat  : 
What  is  Love  s  taste  ?  They  asked  and  answered  I,  o-  Sweet  is  the  taste  but  ah  ! 

'tis  bitter-sweet. 

Thereupon  Kut  al-Kulub  arose  and  took  him  to  her  bosom  and 
kissed  him  ;  for  the  love  of  him  was  firm  fixed  in  her  heart,  so  that 
she  disclosed  to  him  her  secret  and  all  the  affection  she  felt ; 
and,  throwing  her  arms  round  Ghanim 's  neck  like  a  collar  of  pearls, 
kissed  him  again  and  yet  again.  But  he  held  off  from  her  in  awe 
of  the  Caliph.  Then  they  talked  together  a  long  while  (and  indeed 
both  were  drowned  in  the  sea  of  their  mutual  love)  ;  and,  as  the  day 
broke,  Ghanim  rose  and  donned  his  clothes  and  going  to  the' 
bazar,  as  was  his  wont,  took  what  the  occasion  required  and) 
returned  home.  He  found  her  weeping  ;  but  when  she  saw  him; 
she  checked  herself  and,  smiling  through  her  tears,  said,  "Thou* 
hast  desolated  me,  O  beloved  of  my  heart.  By  Allah,  this  hour 
of  absence  hath  been  to  me  like  a  year!1  I  have  explained  to 


1  The  most  terrible  part  of  a  belle  passion  in  the  East  is  that  the  beloved  will  not  allow 
her  lover  leave  of  absence  for  an  hour. 


The  Tale  of  Ghanim  bin  Ayyub.  63 

thee  my  condition  in  the  excess  of  my  eager  love  for  thee  ;  so 
come  now  near  me,  and  forget  the  past  and  have  thy  will  of 
me."  But  he  interrupted  her  crying,  "  I  seek  refuge  with  Allah ! 
This  thing  may  never  be.  How  shall  the  dog  sit  in  the  lion's 
stead  ?  What  is  the  lord's  is  unlawful  to  the  slave !  "  So  he  with- 
drew from  her,  and  sat  down  on  a  corner  of  the  mat.  Her  passion 
for  him  increased  with  his  forbearance  ;  so  she  seated  herself  by 
his  side  and  caroused  and  played  with  him,  till  the  two  were 
flushed  with  wine,  and  she  was  mad  for  her  own  dishonour., 
Then  she  sang  these  verses  : — 

The  lover's  heart  is  like  to  break  in  twain  :  o  Till  when  these  coy  denials  ah  I 

till  when  ? 
O  thou  who  fliest  me  sans  fault  of  mine,  o  Gazelles  are  wont  at  times  prove 

tame  to  men : 
Absence,  aversion,  distance  and  disdain,  o    How  shall  young  lover  all  these 

ills  sustain  ? 

Thereupon  Ghanim  wept  and  she  wept  at  his  weeping,  and  they 
ceased  not  drinking  till  nightfall,  when  he  rose  and  spread  two 
beds,  each  in  its  place.  "  For  whom  is  this  second  bed  ?  "  asked 
she,  and  he  answered  her,  "  One  is  for  me  and  the  other  is  for 
thee  :  from  this  night  forth  we  must  not  sleep  save  thus,  for  that 
which  is  the  lord's  is  unlawful  to  the  thrall"  "  O  my  master ! " 
cried  she,  "let  us  have  done  with  this,  for  all  things  come  to 
pass  by  Fate  and  Fortune."  But  he  refused,  and  the  fire  was 
lighted  in  her  heart  and,  as  her  longing  waxed  fiercer,  she  clung 
to  him  and  cried,  "  By  Allah,  we  will  not  sleep  save  side  by  side  !  " 
"Allah  forefendl"  he  replied  and  prevailed  against  her  and  lay 
apart  till  the  morning,  when  love  and  longing  redoubled  on  her 
and  distraction  and  eager  thirst  of  passion.  They  abode  after  this 
fashion  three  full-told  months,  which  were  long  and  longsome 
indeed,  and  every  time  she  made  advances  to  him,  he  would  refuse 
himself  and  say,  "  Whatever  belongeth  to  the  master  is  unlawful  to 
the  man."  Now  when  time  waxed  tiresome  and  tedious  to  her 
and  anguish  and  distress  grew  on  her,  she  burst  out  from  her 
oppressed  heart  with  these  verses  : — 

How  long,  rare  beauty!   wilt  do  wrong  to  me?  o  Who  was  it  bade  thee  not 

belong  to  me  ? 
With  outer  charms  thou  weddest  inner  grace  o  Comprising  every  point  of 

piquancy  : 
Passion    thou    hast    infused    in    every    heart,  o    From  eyelids  driven  sleep 

by  deputy  : 


64  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

Erst  was  (I  wot)  the  spray  made  thin  of  leaf  o    O  Cassia-spray !    Unlief  thy 

sin  I  see  :  * 
The    hart  erst  hunted  I  :    how  is  't  I   spy  o    The  hunter  hunted  (fair  my 

hart !)  by  thee  ? 
Wondrouser   still   I    tell  thee  aye  that   I    o    Am  trapped  while  never  up  to 

trap  thou  be  ! 
Ne'er  grant  my  prayer  !  For  if  I  grudge  thyself  o  To  thee,  I  grudge  my  me 

more  jealously ; 
And  cry  so  long  as  life  belong  to  me,  o    Rare  beauty  how,  how  long  this 

wrong  to  me  ? 

They  abode  in  this  state  a  long  time,  and  fear  kept  Ghanim  aloof 
from  her.  So  far  concerning  these  two  ;  but  as  regards  the  Lady 
Zubaydah,when,in  the  Caliph's  absence  she  had  done  this  deed  by 
Kut  al-Kulub  she  became  perplexed,  saying  to  herself,  "  What  shall 
I  tell  my  cousin  when  he  comes  back  and  asks  for  her  ?  What 
possible  answer  can  I  make  to  him  ? "  Then  she  called  an  old 
woman,  who  was  about  her  and  discovered  her  secret  to  her 
saying,  "  How  shall  I  act  seeing  that  Kut  al-Kulub  died  by  such 
untimely  death  ?  "  "  O  my  lady,"  quoth  the  old  crone,  "  the  time  of 
the  Caliph's  return  is  near ;  so  do  thou  send  for  a  carpenter  and 
bid  him  make  thee  a  figure  of  wood  in  the  form  of  a  corpse.  We 
will  dig  a  grave  for  it  midmost  the  palace  and  there  bury  it :  then 
do  thou  build  an  oratory  over  it  and  set  therein  lighted  candles 
and  lamps,  and  order  each  and  every  in  the  palace  to  be  clad  in 
black.2  Furthermore  command  thy  handmaids  and  eunuchs  as 
soon  as  they  know  of  the  Caliph's  returning  from  his  journey,  to 
spread  straw  over  the  vestibule-floors  and,  when  the  Commander 
of  the  Faithful  enters  and  asks  what  is  the  matter,  let  them  say: — 
Kut  al-Kulub  is  dead,  and  may  Allah  abundantly  compensate  thee 
for  the  loss  of  her  !3 ;  and,  for  the  high  esteem  in  which  she  was 
held  of  our  mistress,  she  hath  buried  her  in  her  own  palace.  ,  When 
he  hears  this  he  will  weep  and  it  shall  be  grievous  to  him ;  then 
will  he  cause  perlections  of  the  Koran  to  be  made  for  her  and  he 


1  It  is  hard  to  preserve  these  wretched  puns.      In  the  original  we  have  "  O  spray  (or 
branch)  of  capparis-shrub  (ardki)  which  has  been  thinned  of  leaf  and  fruit  (tujna,   i.e., 
whose  fruit,  the  hymen,  has  been  plucked  before  and  riot  by  me)  I  see  thee  (ardkd) 
against  me  sinning  (tajnl). 

2  Apparently  the  writer  forgets  that  the    Abbaside  banners  and  dress  were  black, 
originally  a  badge  of  mourning  for  the  Ima"m  Ibrahim  bin  Mohammed  put  to  death  by  the 
Ommiade  Caliph  Al-Marwan.     The  modern  Egyptian  mourning,  like  the  old  Persian,  is 
indigo-blue  of  the  darkest  ;  but,  as  before  noted,  the  custom  is  by  no  meaas  universal. 

*  Koran,  chapt.  iv.    In  the  East  as  elsewhere  the  Devil  quotes  Scripture.      ,- 


The  Tale  of  Chanim  bin  Ayyub.  6b 

will  watch  by  night  at  her  tomb.  Should Jie  say  to  himself: — Verily 
Zubaydah,  the  daughter  of  my  uncle,  hath  compassed  in  her 
jealousy  the  death  of  Kut  al-Kulub  ;  or,  if  love-longing  overcome 
him  and  he  bid  her  be  taken  out  of  her  tomb,  fear  thou  not ;  for 
when  they  dig  down  and  come  to  the  image  in  human  shape  he 
will  see  it  shrouded  in  costly  grave-clothes ;  and,  if  he  wish  to  take 
off  the  winding-sheet  that  he  may  look  upon  her,  do  thou  forbid 
him  or  let  some  other  forbid  him,  saying  : — The  sight  of  her  naked- 
ness is  unlawful.  The  fear  of  the  world  to  come  will  restrain  him 
and  he  will  believe  that  she  is  dead  and  will  restore  the  figure  to 
its  place  and  thank  thee  for  thy  doings  ;  and  thus  thou  shalt 
escape,  please  Almighty  Allah,  from  this  slough  of  despond." 
When  the  Lady  Zubaydah  heard  her  words,  she  commended  the 
counsel  and  gave  her  a  dress  of  honour  and  a  large  sum  of  money, 
ordering  her  to  do  all  she  had  said.  So  the  old  woman  set  about 
the  business  forthright  and  bade  the  carpenter  make  her  the  afore- 
said image  ;  and,  as  soon  as  it  was  finished,  she  brought  it  to  the 
lady  Zubaydah,  who  shrouded  it  and  buried  it  and  built  a  sepulchre 
over  it,  wherein  they  lighted  candles  and  lamps,  and  laid  down 
carpets  about  the  tomb.  Moreover  she  put  on  black  and  she 
spread  abroad  in  the  Harim  that  Knt  al-Kulub  was  dead.  After 
a  time  the  Caliph  returned  from  his  journey  and  went  up  to  the 
palace,  thinking  only  of  Kut  al-Kulub.  He  saw  all  the  pages  and 
eunuchs  and  handmaids  habited  in  black,  at  which .  his  heart 
fluttered  with  extreme  fear ;  and,  when  he  went  in  to  the  Lady 
Zubaydah,  he  found  her  also  garbed  in  black.  So  he  asked  the 
cause  of  this  and  they  gave  him  tidings  of  the  death  of  Kut  al- 
Kulub,  whereon  he  fell  a-swooning.  As  soon  as  he  came  to  him. 
self,  he  asked  for  her  tomb,  and  the  Lady  Zubaydah  said  to  him, 
"  Know,  O  Prince  of  the  Faithful,  that  for  especial  honour  I  have 
buried  her  in  my  own  palace.''  Then  he  repaired  in  his  travelling- 
garb1  to  the  tomb  that  he  might  wail  over  her,  and  found  the 
carpets  spread  and  the  candles  and  lamps  lighted.  When  he  saw 
this,  he  thanked  Zubaydah  for  her  good  deed  and  abode  perplexed, 
halting  between  belief  and  unbelief  till  at  last  suspicion  overcame 
him  and  he  gave  order  to  open  the  grave  and  take  out  the  body. 
When  he  saw  the  shroud  and  would  have  removed  it  to  look  upon 
her,  the  fear  of  Allah  Almighty  restrained  him,  and  the  old  woman 

1  A  servant  returning  from  a  journey  shows  his  master  due  honour  by  appearing  before 
him  in  travelling  suit  and  uncleaned. 

VQL.  ii.  E 


66  Alf  LaylafTwa  Laylah. 

(taking  advantage  of  the  delay)  said,  "  Restore  her  to  her  place." 
Then  he  sent  at  once  for  Fakirs  and  Koran-readers,  and  caused 
perlections  to  be  made  over  her  tomb  and  sat  by  the  side  of  the 
grave,  weeping  till  he  fainted ;  and  he  continued  to  frequent  the 

tomb  and  sit  there  for  a  whole  month, And  Shahrazad  perceived 

the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


Nofo  fojjm  it  foas  tfje  Jforty=secontJ  Nfgfjt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  Caliph 
ceased  not  to  frequent  the  tomb  for  the  period  of  a  whole  month, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  it  so  happened  one  day  that  he  entered 
the  Serraglio,  after  dismissing  the  Emirs  and  Wazirs,  and  lay  down 
and  slept  awhile;  and  there  sat  at  his  head  a  slave-girl  fanning 
him,  and  at  his  feet  a  second  rubbing  and  shampooing  them. 
Presently  he  awoke  and,  opening  his  eyes,  shut  them  again  and 
heard  the  handmaid  at  his  head  saying  to  her  who  was  at  his  feet, 
"  A  nice  business  this,  O  Khayzaran ! "  and  the  other  answered 
her  "  Well,  O  Kazfb  al-Ban  ? "  »  "  Verily  "  said  the  first,  "  our  lord 
knoweth  naught  of  what  hath  happened  and  sitteth  waking  and 
watching  by  a  tomb  wherein  is  only  a  log  of  wood  carved  by  the 
carpenter's  art."  "And  Kut  al-Kulub,"  quoth  the  other,  "  what 
hath  befallen  her  ?  "  She  replied,  "  Know  that  the  Lady  Zubaydah 
sent  a  pellet  of  Bhang  by  one  of  the  slave-women  who  was  bribed 
to  drug  her ;  and  when  sleep  overpowered  her  she  let  put  her  in  a 
chest,  and  ordered  Sawab  and  Kafur  and  Bukhayt  to  throw  her 
amongst  the  tombs."  "What  dost  thou  say,  O  Kazib  al  Ban;" 
asked  Khayzaran,  "is  not  the  lady  Kut  al-Kulub  dead?"  "Nay, 
by  Allah!"  she  answered  "and  long  may  her  youth  be  saved 
from  death  !  but  I  have  heard  the  Lady  Zubaydah  say  that  she  is 
in  the  house  of  a  young  merchant  named  Ghanim  bin  Ayyub  of 
Damascus,  hight  the  Distraught,  the  Thrall  o'  Love  ;  and  she  hath 
been  with  him  these  four  months,  whilst  our  lord  is  weeping  and 
watching  by  night  at  a  tomb  wherein  is  no  corpse."  They  kept  on 
talking  this  sort  of  talk,  and  the  Caliph  gave  ear  to  their  words  ; 
and,  by  the  time  they  had  ceased  speaking,  he  knew  right  well 
that  the  tomb  was  a  feint  and  a  fraud,  and  that  Kut  al-Kulub  had 

1  The  first  name  means  "  Rattan  "j  the  second  "  Willow-  wand,"  from  the  "Ban" 
or  "Khilaf"  the  Egyptian  willow  (Salix  rfLgyptiaca  Linn.)  vulgarly  called  "  SafsaX." 
Forsk&l  holds  the  "  Ban  "  to  be  a  different  variety. 


The  Tale  of  Ghanim  bin  Ayyub.  67 

been  in  Ghanim's  house  for  four  months.  Whereupon  he  was 
angered  with  exceeding  anger  and  rising  up,  he  summoned  the 
Emirs  of  his  state ;  and  his  Wazir  Ja'afar  the  Barmaki  came  also 
and  kissed  the  ground  between  his  hands.  The  Caliph  said  to  him 
in  fury ;  "  Go  down,  O  Ja'afar,  with  a  party  of  armed  men  and  ask 
for  the  house  of  Ghanim  son  of  Ayyub  :  fall  upon  it  and  spoil  it 
and  bring  him  to  me  with  my  slave-girl,  Kut  al-Kulub,  for  there 
is  no  help  but  that  I  punish  him  !"  "  To  hear  is  to  obey,"  said 
Ja'afar ;  and  setting  out  with  the  Governor  and  the  guards  and  a 
world  of  people,  repaired  to  Ghanim's  house.  Now  about  that 
time  the  youth  happened  to  have  brought  back  a  pot  of  dressed 
meat  and  was  about  to  put  forth  his  hand  to  eat  of  it,  he  and  Kut 
al-Kulub,  when  the  lady,  happening  to  look  out  saw  calamity  sur- 
rounding the  house  on  every  side ;  for  the  Wazir  and  the  Governor, 
the  night-guard  and  the  Mamelukes  with  swords  drawn  had  girt  it 
as  the  white  of  the  eye  girdeth  the  black.  At  this  she  knew  that 
tidings  of  her  had  reached  the  Caliph,  her  lord  ;  and  she  made  sure 
of  ruin,  and  her  colour  paled  and  her  fair  features  changed  and  her 
favour  faded.  Then  she  turned  to  Ghanim  and  said  to  him,  "  O 
my  love  ?  fly  for  thy  life  ! "  "  What  shall  I  do,"  asked  he,  "  and 
whither  shall  I  go,  seeing  that  my  money  and  means  of  main- 
tenance are  all  in  this  house?";  and  she  answered,  "  Delay  not 
lest  thou  be  slain  and  lose  life  as  well  as  wealth."  "  O  my  loved 
one  and  light  of  mine  eyes ! "  he  cried,  "  How  shall  I  do  to  get 
away  when  they  have  surrounded  the  house  ?"  Quoth  she,  "  Fear 
not;  "  and,  stripping  off  his  fine  clothes,  dressed  him  in  ragged  old 
garments,  after  which  she  took  the  pot  and,  putting  in  it  bits  of 
broken  bread  and  a  saucer  of  meat,1  placed  the  whole  in  a  basket 
and  setting  it  upon  his  head  said,  "  Go  out  in  this  guise  and  fear 
not  for  me  who  wotteth  right  well  what  thing  is  in  my  hand  for 
the  Caliph."2  So  he  went  out  amongst  them,  bearing  the  basket 
with  its  contents,  and  the  Protector  vouchsafed  him  His  protection 
and  he  escaped  the  snares  and  perils  that  beset  him,  by  the  blessing 
of  his  good  conscience  and  pure  conduct.  Meanwhile  Ja'afar  dis- 
mounted and  entering  the  house,  saw  Kut  al-Kulub  who  had  dressed 
and  decked  herself  in  splendid  raiments  and  ornaments  and  filled  a 
chest  with  gold  and  jewellery  and  precious  stones  and  rarities  and 


1  Arab.  "Ta'dm,"  which  has  many  meanings:    in  mod.  parlance  it  would  signify 
millet,  holcus-seed. 

2  i.e.  "  I  well  know  how  to  deal  with  him." 


68  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

what  else  was  light  to  bear  and  of  value  rare.  When  she  saw  Ja'afar 
come  in,  she  rose  and,  kissing  the  ground  before  him,  said,  "  O  my 
lord,  the  Reed  hath  written  of  old  the  rede  which  Allah  decreed!"1' 
"  By  Allah,  O  my  lady,"  answered  Ja'afar,  "  he  gave  me  an  order 
to  seize  Ghanim  son  of  Ayyub  ; "  and  she  rejoined,  "  O  my  lord, 
he  made  ready  his  goods  and  set  out  therewith  for  Damascus  and 
I  know  nothing  more  of  him  ;  but  I  desire  thee  take  charge  of  this 
chest  and  deliver  it  to  me  in  the  Harim  of  the  Prince  of  the  Faith- 
ful." "  Hearing  and  obedience,"  said  Ja'afar,  and  bade  his  men 
bear  it  away  to  the  head-quarters  of  the  Caliphate  together  with 
Kut  al-Kulub,  commanding  them  to  entreat  her  with  honour  as  one 
in  high  esteem.  They  did  his  bidding  after  they  had  wrecked  and 
plundered  Ghanim's  house.  Then  Ja'afar  went  in  to  the  Caliph  and 
told  him  all  that  had  happened,  and  he  ordered  Kut  al-Kulub  to  be 
lodged  in  a  dark  chamber  and  appointed  an  old  woman  to  serve  her, 
feeling  convinced  that  Ghanim  had  debauched  her  and  slept  with 
her.  Then  he  wrote  a  mandate  to  the  Emir  Mohammed  bin  Sulay- 
man  al-Zayni,  his  viceroy  in  Damascus,  to  this  effect : — "  The  instant 
thou  shalt  receive  this  our  letter,  seize  upon  Ghanim  bin  Ayyub  and 
send  him  to  us."  When  the  missive  came  to  the  viceroy,  he  kissed 
it  and  laid  it  on  his  head ;  then  he  let  proclaim  in  the  bazars, 
•"  Whoso  is  desirous  to  plunder,  away  with  him  to  the  house  of 
Ghanim  son  of  Ayyub."2  So  they  flocked  thither,  when  they  found 
that  Ghanim's  mother  and  sister  had  built  him  a  tomb s  in  the 
midst  of  the  house  and  sat  by  it  weeping  for  him  ;  whereupon  they 
seized  the  two  without  telling  them  the  cause  and,  after  spoiling 
the  house,  carried  them  before  the  viceroy.  He  questioned  them 
concerning  Ghanim  and  both  replied, "  For  a  year  or  more  we  have 
had  no  news  of  him."  So  they  restored  them  to  their  place.  Thus 
far  concerning  them;  but  as  regards  Ghanim,  when  he  saw  his 
wealth  spoiled  and  his  ruin  utterest  he  wept  over  himself  till  his 
heart  well-nigh  brake.  Then  he  fared  on  at  random  till  the  last 


1  The  Pen  (title  of  the  Koranic  chapt.  Ixviii.)  and  the  Preserved  Tablet  (before  ex- 
plained). 

2  These  plunderings  were  sanctioned  by  custom.    But  a  few  years  ago,  when  the 
Turkish  soldiers  mutinied  about  arrears  of  pay  (often  delayed  for  years)  the  governing 
Pasha  would  set  fire  to  the  town  and  allow  the  men  to  loot  what  they  pleased  during  a 
stated  time.     Rochet  (soi-dtsant  D'Hericourt)  amusingly  describes  this  manoeuvre  of 
the  Turkish  Governor  of  Al-Hodaydah  in  the  last  generation  (Pilgrimage  iii.  381). 

3  Another  cenotaph  whose  use  was  to  enable  women  to  indulge  in  their  pet  pastime  of 
weeping  and  wailing  in  company. 


The  Tale  of  Ghanim  bin  Ayyub.  69 

of  the  day,  and  hunger  grew  hard  on  him  and  walking  wearied 
him.  So  coming  to  a  village  he  entered  a  mosque !  where  he  sat 
down  upon  a  mat  and  propped  his  back  against  the  wall ;  but 
presently  he  sank  to  the  ground  in  his  extremity  of,  famine  and 
fatigue.  There  he  lay  till  dawn,  his  heart  fluttering'  for  want  of 
food  ;  and,  owing  to  his  sweating,  the  lice  2  coursed  over  his  skin  ; 
his  breath  waxed  fetid  and  his  whole  condition  was  changed. 
When  the  villagers  came  to  pray  the  dawn-prayer,  they  found  him 
prostrate,  ailing,  hunger-lean,  yet  showing  evident  signs  of  former 
affluence.  As  soon  as  prayers  were  over,  they  drew  near  him ; 
and,  understanding  that  he  was  starved  with  hunger  and  cold, 
they  gave  him  an  old  robe  with  ragged  sleeves  and  said  to  him, 
"  O  stranger,  whence  art  thou  and  what  sickness  is  upon  thee  ?  * 
He  opened  his  eyes  and  wept  but  returned  no  answer  ;  whereupon 
one  of  them,  who  saw  that  he  was  starving,  brought  him  a  saucer 
of  honey  and  two  barley  scones.  He  ate  a  little  and  they  sat 
with  him  till  sun-rise,  when  they  went  to  their  work.  He  abode 
with  them  in  this  state  for  a  month,  whilst  sickness  and  weak- 
liness  grew  upon  him  ;  and  they  wept  for  him  and,  pitying  his 
condition,  took  counsel  with  one  another  upon  his  case  and  agreed 
to  forward  him  to  the  hospital  in  Baghdad.8  Meanwhile  behold, 
two  beggar-women,  who  were  none  other  than  Ghanim's  mother 
and  sister,4  came  into  the  mosque  and,  when  he  saw  them,  he  gave 
them  the  bread  that  was  at  his  head  ;  and  they  slept  by  his  side 
that  night  but  he  knew  them  not.  Next  day  the  villagers  brought 
a  camel  and  said  to  the  cameleer,  "  Set  this  sick  man  on  thy  beast 
and  carry  him  to  Baghdad  and  put  him  down  at  the  Spital-door ; 
so  haply  be  may  be  medicined  and  be  healed  and  thou  shalt  have 
thy  hire."5  "To  hear  is  to  comply,"  said  the  man.  So  they  brought 

1  The  lodging  of  pauper  travellers,  as  the  chapel  in  Iceland  is  of  the  wealthy.    I  have 
often  taken  benefit  of  the  mosque,  but  as  a  role  it  is  unpleasant,  the  matting  being  not  only 
torn  but  over-populous.    Juvenal  seems  to  allude  to  the  Jewish  Synagogue  similarly 
used  :— "  in  qua  te  qusero  proseucha  "  ?  (iii.  296)  and  in  Acts  iii.  we  find  the  lame,  blind 
and  impotent  in  the  Temple-porch. 

2  This  foul  sort  of  vermin  is  supposed  to  be  bred  by  perspiration.    It  is  an  epoch  in 
the  civilised  traveller's  life  when  he  catches  his  first  louse. 

3  The  Moslem  peasant  is  a  kind-hearted  man  and  will  make  many  sacrifices  for  a  sick 
stranger  even  of  another  creed.     It  is  a  manner  of  "  pundonor  "  with  the  village. 

4  Such  treatment  of  innocent  women  was  only  too  common  under  the  Caliphate  and  in 
contemporary  Europe. 

6  This  may  also  mean,  "And  Heaven  will  reward  thee;"  but  camel-men  do  not 
usually  accept  any  drafts  upon  futurity. 


70  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

Ghanim,  who  was  asleep,  out  of  the  mosque  and  set  him,  mat  and  all, 
on  the  camel  ;  and  his  mother  and  sister  came  out  among  the  crowd 
to  gaze  upon  him,  but  they  knew  him  not.  However,  after  look- 
ing at  him  and  considering  him  carefully  they  said,  "  Of  a  truth 
he  favours  our  Ghanim,  poor  boy  !  ;  can  this  sick  man  be  he  ?  " 
Presently,  he  woke  and  finding  himself  bound  with  ropes  on  a 
camel's  back,  he  began  to  weep  and  complain,1  and  the  village- 
people  saw  his  mother  and  sister  weeping  over  him,  albeit  they 
knew  him  not.  Then  they  fared  forth  for  Baghdad,  but  the 
camel-man  forewent  them  and,  setting  Ghanim  down  at  the 
Spital-gate,  went  away  with  his  beast.  The  sick  man  lay  there 
till  dawn  and,  when  the  folk  began  to  go  about  the  streets,  they 
saw  him  and  stood  gazing  on  him,  for  he  had  become  as  thin  as  a 
toothpick,  till  the  Syndic  of  the  bazar  came  up  and  drove  them 
away  from  him,  saying,  "  I  will  gain  Paradise  through  this  poor 
creature  ;  for  if  they  take  him  into  the  Hospital,  they  will  kill  him 
in  a  single  day."  2  Then  he  made  his  young  men  carry  him  to  his 
house,  where  they  spread  him  a  new  bed  with  a  new  pillow,3  and 
he  said  to  his  wife,  "  Tend  him  carefully  ;  "  and  she  replied,  "  Good  ! 
on  my  head  be  it  !  "  Thereupon  she  tucked  up  her  sleeves  and 
warming  some  water,  washed  his  hands,  feet  and  body  ;  after  which 
she  clothed  him  in  a  robe  belonging  to  one  of  her  slave-girls  and 
made  him  drink  a  cup  of  wine  and  sprinkled  rose-water  over 
him.  So  he  revived  and  complained,  and  the  thought  of  his 
beloved  Kut  al-Kulub  made  his  grief  redouble.  Thus  far  con- 
cerning him  ;  but  as  regards  Kut  al-Kulub,  when  the  Caliph  was 
angered  against  her,  --  And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of 
day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


fo&m  it  fioas  t&e 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  the 
Caliph  was  angered  against  Kut  al-Kulub,  he  ordered  her  to  a 
dark  chamber  where  she  abode  eighty  days,  at  the  end  of  which 
the  Caliph,  happening  to  pass  on  a  certain  day  the  place  where  she 


1  He  felt  that  he  was  being  treated  like  a  corpse. 

8  This  hatred  of  the  Hospital  extends  throughout  Southern  Europe,  even  in  places 
where  it  is  not  justified. 

8  The  importance  of  the  pillow  (wisadah  or  makhaddah)  to  the  sick  man  is  often 
recognised  in  The  Nights.  ..."  He  took  to  his  pillow  "  is  =  took  to  his  bed. 


The  Tale  of  Ghanim  bin  Ayyub.  ?t 

was,  heard  her  repeating  poetry,  and  after  she  ceased  reciting  her 
verse,  saying,  "O  my  darling,  O  my  Ghanim!  how  great  is  thy 
goodness  and  how  chaste  is  thy  nature !  thou  didst  well  by  one 
who  did  ill  by  thee  and  thou  guardedst  his  honour  who  garred 
thine  become  dishonour,  and  his  Harim  thou  didst  protect  who  to 
enslave  thee  and  thine  did  elect!     But  thou  shalt  surely  stand, 
thou  and  the  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  before  the  Just  Judge, 
and  thou  shalt  be  justified  of  him  on  the  Day  when  the  Lord  (to 
whom  be  honour  and  glory!)  shall  be  Kazi  and  the  Angels  of 
Heaven  shall  be  witnesses !"    When  the  Caliph  heard  her  complaint, 
he  knew  that  she  had  been  wronged  and,  returning  to  the  palace, 
sent   Masrur  the  Eunuch  for  her.     She  came  before  him  with 
bowed  head  and  eyes  tearful  and  heart  sorrowful ;  and  he  said 
to  her,  "  O  Kut  al-Kulub,  I  find  thou  accusest  me  of  tyranny  and 
oppression,  and  thou  avouchest  that  I  have  done  ill  by  one  who 
did  well  by  me.     Who  is  this  who  hath  guarded  my  honour  while 
I  garbed  his  become  dishonour  ?    Who  protected  my  Harim  and 
whose   Harim   I  wrecked?"      "He  is  Ghanim   son   of  Ayyub," 
replied  she,  "  for  he  never  approached  me  in  wantonness  or  with 
lewd  intent,  I  swear  by  thy  munificence,  O  Commander  of  the 
Faithful ! "    Then   said   the   Caliph,  "  There  is  no   Majesty  and 
there  is  no  Might  save  in  Allah !     Ask  what  thou  wilt  of  me,  O 
Kut  al-Kulub."    "  O  Prince  of  the  Faithful ! ",  answered  she,  '  I 
require  of  thee  only  my  beloved  Ghanim  son  of  Ayyub."     He  did 
as  she  desired,  whereupon  she  said,  "  O  Lord  of  the  Moslems,  if  I 
bring  him  to  thy  presence,  wilt  thou  bestow  me  on  him  ?" ;  and  he 
replied,  "  If  he  come  into  my  presence,  I  will  give  thee  to  him 
as  the  gift  of  the  generous  who  revoketh  not  his  largesse."     "O 
Prince  of  True  Believers,"  quoth  she,  "suffer  me  to  go  and  seek 
him  {  haply  Allah  may  unite  me  with  him  :"  and  quoth  he,  "  Do 
even  as  thou  wilt."     So  she  rejoiced  and,  taking  with  her  a  thou- 
sand dinars  in  gold,  went  out  and  visited  the  elders  of  the  various 
faiths  and  gave  alms  in  Ghanim's  name.1     Next  day  she  walked 
to  the  merchants'  bazar  and  disclosed  her  object  to  the  Syndic 
and   gave   him   money,  saying,  "Bestow  this   in   charity  to  the 
stranger !"     On  the  following  Friday  she  fared  to  the  bazar  (with 
other  thousand  dinars)  and,  entering  the  goldsmiths'  and  jewellers' 
market-street,  called  the  Chief  and  presented  to  him  a  thousand 

i.e.  in  order  that  the  reverend  men,  who  do  not  render  such  suit  and  service  gratis, 
might  pray  for  him. 


72  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

dinars  with  these  words,  "  Bestow  this  in  charity  to  the  stranger  !  " 
The  Chief  looked  at  her  (and  he  was  the  Syndic  who  had  taken  in 
Ghanim)  and  said,  "  O  my  lady,  wilt  thou  come  to  my  house  and 
look  upon  a  youth,  a  stranger  I  have  there  and  see  how  goodly 
and  graceful  he  is?"  Now  the  stranger  was  Ghanim,  son  of 
Ayyub,  but  the  Chief  had  no  knowledge  of  him  and  thought  him 
to  be  some  wandering  pauper,  some  debtor  whose  wealth  had 
been  taken  from  him,  or  some  lover  parted  from  his  beloved. 
When  she  heard  his  words  her  heart  fluttered J  and  her  vitals 
yearned,  and  she  said  to  him,  "Send  with  me  one  who  shall 
guide  me  to  thy  house."  So  he  sent  a  little  lad  who  brought  her 
to  the  house  wherein  was  the  head  man's  stranger-guest  and  she 
thanked  him  for  this.  When  she  reached  the  house,  she  went  in 
and  saluted  the  Syndic's  wife,  who  rose  and  kissed  the  ground 
between  her  hands,  for  she  knew  her.  Then  quoth  Kut  al-Kulub, 
"  Where  is  the  sick  man  who  is  with  thee  ? "  She  wept  and 
replied,  "  Here  is  he,  O  my  lady ;  by  Allah,  he  is  come  of  good 
folk  and  he  beareth  the  signs  of  gentle  breeding:  you  see  him 
lying  on  yonder  bed"  So  she  turned. and  looked  at  him:  and 
she  saw  something  like  him,  but  he  was  worn  and  wasted  till  he 
had  become  lean  as  a  toothpick,  so  his  identity  was  doubtful  to 
her  and  she  could  not  be  certain  that  it  was  he.  Yet  pity  for  him 
possessed  her  and  she  wept  saying,  "Verily  the  stranger  is  un- 
happy, even  though  he  be  a  prince  in  his  own  land!";  and  his 
case  was  grievous  to  her  and  her  heart  ached  for  him,  yet  she 
knew  him  not  to  be  Ghanim.  Then  she  furnished  him  with  wine 
and  medicines  and  she  sat  awhile  by  his  head,  after  which  she 
mounted  and  returned  to  her  palace  and  continued  to  visit  every 
bazar  in  quest  of  her  lover.  Meanwhile  Ghanim's  mother  and 
sister  Fitnah  arrived  at  Baghdad  and  met  the  Syndic,  who  carried 
them  to  Kut  al-Kulub  and  said  to  her,  "  O  Princess  of  beneficent 
ladies,  there  came  to  our  city  this  day  a  woman  and  her  daughter, 
who  are  fair  of  favour  and  signs  of  good  breeding  and  dignity  are 
apparent  in  them,  though  they  be  dressed  in  hair-cloth  and  have 
each  one  a  wallet  hanging  to  her  neck ;  and  their  eyes  are  tearful 
and  their  hearts  are  sorrowful.  So  I  have  brought  them  to  thee 
that  thou  mayst  give  them  refuge,  and  rescue  them  from  beggary, 


The  reader  will  notice  in  The  Nights  the  frequent  'mention  of  these  physical  prognos- 
tications, with  which  mesmerists  are  familiar. 


The  Tale  of  Ghanim  bin  Ayyub.  73 

for  they  are  not  of  asker-folk  and,  if  it  please  Allah,  we  shall  enter 
Paradise  through  them."  "  By  Allah,  O  my  master/'  cried  she, 
"thou  makest  me  long  to  see  them!  Where  are  they?",  adding, 
"  Here  with  them  to  me  ! "  So  he  bade  the  eunuch  bring  them  in ; 
and,  when  she  looked  on  them  and  saw  that  they  were  both  of 
distinguished  beauty,  she  wept  for  them  and  said,  "  By  Allah, 
these  are  people  of  condition  and  show  plain  signs  of  former 
opulence."  "O  my  lady,"  said  the  Syndic's  wife,  "we  love  the 
poor  and  the  destitute,  more  especially  as  reward  in  Heaven 
will  recompense  our  love  ;  and,  as  for  these  persons,  haply  the 
oppressor  hath  dealt  hardly  with  them  and  hath  plundered  their 
property  and  harried  their  houses."  Then  Ghanim's  mother  and 
sister  wept  with  sore  weeping,  remembering  their  former  pros- 
perity and  contrasting  it  with  their  present  poverty  and  miserable 
condition  ;  and  their  thoughts  dwelt  upon  son  and  brother,  whilst 
Kut  al-Kulub  wept  for  their  weeping ;  and  they  said,  "  We  beseech 
Allah  to  reunite  us  with  him  whom  we  desire,  and  he  is  none  other 
but  my  son  named  Ghanim  bin  Ayyub  ! "  When  Kut  al-Kulub 
heard  this,  she  knew  them  to  be  the  mother  and  sister  of  her  lover 
and  wept  till  a  swoon  came  over  her.  When  she  revived  she 
turned  to  them  and  said,  "  Have  no  fear  and  sorrow  not,  for  this 
day  is  the  first  of  your  prosperity  and  the  last  of  your  adversity  !" 

And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying 

her  permitted  say. 


Xoto  foljcn  ft  toas  tfje  Jfortn-fouuf)  Xio!)t, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  Kut 
al-Kulub  had  consoled  them  she  bade  the  Syndic  lead  them  to  his 
house  and  let  his  wife  carry  them  to  the  Hamman  and  dress  them 
in  handsome  clothes  and  take  care  of  them  and  honour  them  with 
all  honour ;  and  she  gave  him  a  sufficient  sum  of  money.  Next 
day,  she  mounted  and,  riding  to  his  house,  went  in  to  his  wife  who 
rose  up  and  kissed  her  hands  and  thanked  her  for  her  kindness. 
There  she  saw  Ghanim's  mother  and  sister  whom  the  Syndic's  wife 
had  taken  to  the  Hammam  and  clothed  afresh,  so  that  the  traces 
of  their  former  condition  became  manifest  upon  them.  She  sat 
talking  with  them  awhile,  after  which  she  asked  the  wife  about  the 
sick  youth  who  was  in  her  house  and  she  replied,  "  He  is  in  the 


74  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

same  state."  Then  said  Kut  al-Kulub,  "  Come,  let  us  go  and  visit 
him."  So  she  arose,  she  and  the  Chiefs  wife  and  Ghanim's  mother 
and  sister,  and  went  in  to  the  room  where  he  lay  and  sat  down 
near  him.  Presently  Ghanim  bin  Ayyub,  the  Distraught,  the 
Thrall  o'  Love,  'heard  them  mention  the  name  of  Kut  al-Kulub ; 
whereupon  life  returned  to  him,  emaciated  and  withered  as  he  was, 
and  he  raised  his  head  from  the  pillow  and  cried  aloud,  "  O  Kut 
al-Kulub !  "  She  looked  at  him  and  made  certain  it  was  he  and 
shrieked  rather  than  said,  "  Yes,  O  my  beloved  ! "  "  Draw  near  to 
me;"  said  he,  and  she  replied,  "Surely  thou  art  Ghanim  bin 
Ayyub  ? "  ;  and  he  rejoined  "  I  am  indeed  !  "  Hereupon  a  swoon 
came  upon  her ;  and,  as  soon  as  Ghanim's  mother  and  his  sister 
Fitnah  heard  these  words,  both  cried  out  "  O  our  joy !  "  and  fainted 
clean  away.  When  they  all  recovered,  Kut  al-Kulub  exclaimed, 
"  Praise  be  to  Allah  who  hath  brought  us  together  again  and  who 
hath  reunited  thee  with  thy  mother  and  thy  sister ! "  And  she 
related  to  him  all  that  had  befallen  her  with  the  Caliph  and  said, 
"  I  have  made  known  the  truth  to  the  Commander  of  the  Faithful, 
who  believed  my  words  and  was  pleased  with  thee ;  and  now  he 
desireth  to  see  thee,"  adding,  "  He  hath  given  me  to  thee."  Thereat 
he  rejoiced  with  extreme  joy,  when  she  said,  "  Quit  not  this  place 
till  I  come  back  "  and,  rising  forthwith,  betook  herself  to  her  palace. 
There  she  opened  the  chest  which  she  had  brought  from  Ghanim's 
house  and,  taking  out  some  of  the  dinars,  gave  them  to  the  Syndic 
saying,  "  Buy  with  this  money  for  each  of  them  four  complete  suits 
of  the  finest  stuffs  and  twenty  kerchiefs,  and  else  beside  of  what- 
soever they  require  ; "  after  which  she  carried  all  three  to  the  baths 
and  had  them  washed  and  bathed  and  made  ready  for  them 
consommes,  and  galangale-water  and  cider  against  their  coming 
out.  When  they  left  the  Hammam,  they  put  on  the  new  clothes, 
and  she  abode  with  them  three  days  feeding  them  with  chicken 
meats  and  bouillis,  and  making  them  drink  sherbet  of  sugar  candy. 
After  three  days  their  spirits  returned  ;  and  she  carried  them  again 
to  the  baths,  and  when  they  came  out  and  had  changed  their 
raiment,  she  led  them  back  to  the  Syndic's  house  and  left  them 
there,  whilst  she  returned  to  the  palace  and  craved  permission  to 
see  the  Caliph.  When  he  ordered  her  to  come  in,  she  entered  and, 
kissing  the  ground  between  his  hands,  told  him  the  whole  story  and 
how  her  lord,  Ghanim  bin  Ayyub,  yclept  the  Distraught,  the  Thrall 
o'  Love,  and  his  mother  and  sister  were  now  in  Baghdad.  When 


The  Tale  of  Ghanim  bin  Ayyub.  75 

the  Caliph  heard  this,  he  turned  to  the  eunuchs  and  said,  "  Here 
with  Ghanim  to  me."  So  Ja'afar  went  to  fetch  him ;  but  Kut 
al-Kulub  forewent  him  and  told  Ghanim,  "  The  Caliph  hath  sent  to 
fetch  thee  before  him,"  and  charged  him  to  show  readiness  of 
tongue  and  firmness  of  heart  and  sweetness  of  speech.  Then  she 
robed  him  in  a  sumptuous  dress  and  gave  him  dinars  in  plenty, 
saying,  "  Be  lavish  of  largesse  to  the  Caliph's  household  as  thou 
goest  in  to  him."  Presently  Ja'afar,  mounted  on  his  Nubian  mule, 
came  to  fetch  him ;  and  Ghanim  advanced  to  welcome  the  Wazir 
and,  wishing  him  long  life,  kissed  the  ground  before  him.  Now 
the  star  of  his  good  fortune  had  risen  and  shone  brightly ;  and 
Ja'afar  took  him  ;  and  they  ceased  not  faring  together,  he  and  the 
Minister,  till  they  went  in  to  the  Commander  of  the  Faithful. 
When  he  stood  in  the  presence,  he  looked  at  the  Wazirs  and  Emirs 
and  Chamberlains,  and  Viceroys  and  Grandees  and  Captains,  and 
then  at  the  Caliph.  Hereupon  he  sweetened  his  speech  and  his 
eloquence  and,  bowing  his  head  to  the  ground,  broke  out  in  these 
extempore  couplets : — 

May  that  Monarch's  life  span  a  mighty  span,  o  Whose  lavish  of  largesse  all 

lieges  scan  : 
None  other  but  he  shall  be  Kaysar  hight,  o  Lord  of  lordly  hall    and   of 

haught  Divan  : 
Kings  lay  their  gems  on  his   threshold-dust  o  As   they  bow   and  salam  to 

the  mighty  man ; 
And  his  glances  foil    them    and  all  recoil,  o  Bowing  beards  aground  and 

with  faces  wan  : 
Yet  they  gain  the  profit  of  royal  grace,     o  The  rank  and  station  of  high 

soldan. 
Earth's  plain  is  scant  for  thy  world  of  men,  o  Camp    there    in    Kaywan's1 

Empyrean  I 
May  the  King  of  Kings  ever  hold  thee  dear ;     o  Be  counsel  thine  and  right 

steadfast  plan, 
Till  thy  justice  spread  o'er  the  wide-spread  earth  o  And  the  near  and  the  far  be 

of  equal  worth. 

When  he  ended  his  improvisation  the  Caliph  was  pleased  by  it  and 
marvelled  at  the  eloquence  of  his  tongue  and  the  sweetness  of  his 

speech, And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased 

to  say  her  permitted  say. 

1  The  Pers.  name  of  the  planet  Saturn  in  the  Seventh  Heaven.    Arab.  "Zuh»l";  die 
Kiun  or  Chiun  of  Amos  vi.  26. 


A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 


Nofo  foScn  (t  foas.  tfie  ^ottB-fiftft  "NTt$t, 


She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  Caliph, 
after  marvelling  at  his  eloquence  of  tongue  and  sweetness  of  speech, 
said  to  him,  "  Draw  near  to  me."  So  he  drew  near  and  quoth  the 
King,  "  Tell  me  thy  tale  and  declare  to  me  thy  case."  So  Ghanim 
sat  down  and  related  to  him  what  had  befallen  him  in  Baghdad,  of 
his  sleeping  in  the  tomb  and  of  his  opening  the  chest  after  the 
three  slaves  had  departed,  and  informed  him,  in  short,  of  everything 
that  had  happened  to  him  from  commencement  to  conclusion  — 
none  of  which  we  will  repeat  for  interest  fails  in  twice  told  tales. 
The  Caliph  was  convinced  that  he  was  a  true  man  ;  so  he  invested 
him  with  a  dress  of  honour,  and  placed  him  near  himself  in  token 
of  favour,  and  said  to  him,  "  Acquit  me  of  the  responsibility  I  have 
incurred."  *  And  Ghanim  so  did,  saying,  "  O  our  lord  the  Sultan,  of 
a  truth  thy  slave  and  all  things  his  two  hands  own  are  his  master's." 
The  Caliph  was  pleased  at  this  and  gave  orders  to  set  apart  a 
palace  for  him  and  assigned  to  him  pay  and  allowances,  rations  and 
donations,  which  amounted  to  something  immense.  So  he  removed 
thither  with  sister  and  mother  ;  after  which  the  Caliph,  hearing 
that  his  sister  Fitnah  was  in  beauty  a  very  "  fitnah,"  2  a  mere  seduc- 
tion, demanded  her  in  marriage  of  Ghanim  who  replied,  "  She  is  thy 
handmaid  as  I  am  thy  slave."  The  Caliph  thanked  him  and  gave 
him  an  hundred  thousand  dinars,  then  summoned  the  witnesses 
and  the  Kazi,  and  on  one  and  the  same  day  they  wrote  out  the 
two  contracts  of  marriage  between  the  Caliph  and  Fitnah  and  be- 
tween Ghanim  bin  Ayyub  and  Kut  al-Kulub  ;  and  the  two  marriages 
were  consummated  on  one  and  the  same  night.  When  it  was 
morning,  the  Caliph  gave  orders  to  record  the  history  of  what  had 
befallen  Ghanim  from  first  to  last  and  to  deposit  it  in  the  royal 
muniment-rooms,  that  those  who  came  after  him  might  read  it  and 
marvel  at  the  dealings  of  Destiny  and  put  their  trust  in  Him  who 
created  the  night  and  the  day.  Yet,  O  auspicious  King,  this  story 
to  which  thou  hast  deigned  give  ear  is  on  no  wise  more  wondrous 
than  the 


1  i.e.  "  Pardon  me  if  I  injured  thee"— a  popular  phrase. 

3  A  "seduction,"  a  charmer.    The  double-entendre  has  before  been  noticed. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu?uman  and  his  Sons.        JJ 


TALE  OF  KING   OMAR   BIN   AL-NU'jJMAN    AND   HIS  SONS 
SHARRKAN   AND   ZAU    AL-MAKAN, 

AND  WHAT  BEFEL  THEM  OF  THINGS   SELD-SEEN  AND  PEREGRINE." 

THE  King  asked  her,  "  And  what  was  their  story  ? "  and  she 
answered  : — It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  there 
was  in  the  City  of  Safety,  Baghdad,  before  the  Caliphate  of  Abd 
al-Malik  bin  Marwan,2  a  King,  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  hight,  who 
was  of  the  mighty  giants  and  had  subjected  the  Chosroes  of  Persia 
and  the  Kaysars  of  Eastern  Rome ;  for  none  could  warm  himself 
at  his  fire  ;3  nor  could  any  avail  to  meet  him  in  the  field  of  foray 
and  fray;  and,  when  he  was  an-angered,  there  came  forth  from  his 
nostrils  sparks  of  flame.  He  had  made  himself  King  over  all 
quarters,  and  Allah  had  subjected  to  him  all  His  creatures  ;  his 
word  went  forth  to  all  great  cities  and  his  hosts  had  harried  the 
farthest  lands.  East  and  West  had  come  under  his  command  with 
whatsoever  regions  lay  interspersed  between  them,  Hind  and  Sind 
and  Sin,4  the  Holy  Land,  Al-Hijaz,  the  rich  mountains  of  Al- 

Yaman  and  the  archipelagos  of  India  and  China.    Moreover,  he 

*  -grL . 

1  This  knightly  tale,  the  longest  in  the  Nights  (xliv— cxlv.),  about  one-eighth  of  the 
whole,  does  not  appear  in  the  Bres.  Edit.  Lane,  who  finds  it  "  objectionable,"  reduces  it 
to  two  of  its  episodes,  Aziz-cum-Azizah  and  Taj  al-Muluk.  On  the  other  hand  it  has 
been  converted  into  a  volume  (8vo,  pp.  240)  "  Scharkan,  Conte  Arabe  ;"  etc.  Traduit 
par  M.  Asselan  Riche,  etc.  Paris :  Dondey-Dupre".  1829.  It  has  its  longueurs  and  at 
times  is  longsome  enough  ;  but  it  is  interesting  as  a  comparison  between  the  chivalry  of 
Al-Islam  and  European  knight-errantry.  Although  all  the  characters  are  fictitious  the 
period  is  evidently  in  the  early  crusading  days.  Caesarea,  the  second  capital  of  Palestine, 
taken  during  the  Caliphate  of  Omar  (A.H.  19)  and  afterwards  recovered,  was  fortified 
in  A.H.  353  =  963  as  a  base  against  the  Arabs  by  the  Emperor  Phocas,  the  Arab. 
"Nakfur"  i.e.  Nicephorus.  In  A.H.  498  =  1104,  crusading  craft  did  much 
injury  by  plundering  merchantmen  between  Egypt  and  Syria,  to  which  allusion  is  found 
in  the  romance.  But  the  story-teller  has  not  quite  made  up  his  mind  about  which 
Caesarea  he  is  talking,  and  M.  Riche  tells  us  that  Ce'sare'e  is  a  "ville  de  la  Mauiitanie, 
en  Afrique  "  (p.  20). 

8  The  fifth  Omnriade  Caliph  reign.    A.H.  65—86  =  685—704. 

8  This  does  not  merely  mean  that  no  one  was  safe  from  his  wrath  :  or,  could  approach 
him  in  the  heat  of  fight :  it  is  a  reminiscence  of  the  masterful  "  King  Kulayb,"  who 
established  game-laws  in  his  dominions  and  would  allow  no  man  to  approach  his  camp- 
fire.  Moreover  the  Jinn  lights  a  fire  to  decoy  travellers ;  but  if  his  victim  be  bold 
enough  to  brave  him,  he  invites  him  to  take  advantage  of  the  heat. 

*  China. 


7  8  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

reigned  supreme  over  the  north  country  and  Diyar  Bakr,  or  Meso- 
potamia, and  over  Sudan,  the  Eastern  Negro-land  and  the  Islands 
of  the  Ocean,  and  all  the  far  famed  rivers  of  the  earth,  Sayhun 
and  Jayhun,1  Nile  and  Euphrates.  He  sent  envoys  and  ambassa- 
dors to  capitals  the  most  remote,  to  provide  him  with  true  report ; 
and  they  would  bring  back  tidings  of  justice  and  peace,  with  assu- 
rance of  loyalty  and  obedience  and  of  prayers  in  the  pulpits  for 
King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  ;  for  he  was,  O  Ruler  of  the  Age,  a  right 
noble  King ;  and  there  came  to  him  presents  of  rarities  and  toil 
and  tribute  from  all  lands  of  his  governing.  This  mighty  monarch 
had  a  son  yclept  Sharrkan,2  who  was  likest  of  all  men  to  his  father 
and  who  proved  himself  one  of  the  prodigies  of  his  time  for  subduing 
the  brave  and  bringing  his  contemporaries  to  bane  and  ban.  For 
this  his  father  loved  him  with  love  so  great  none  could  be  greater, 
and  made  him  heir  to  the  kingdom  after  himself.  This  Prince 
grew  up  till  he  reached  man's  estate  and  was  twenty  years  old,  and 
Allah  subjected  His  servants  to  him,  by  reason  of  his  great  might 
and  prowess  in  battle.  Now  his  father,  King  Omar,  had  four 
wives  legally  married,  but  Allah  had  vouchsafed  him  no  son  by 
them,  save  Sharrkan,  whom  he  had  begotten  upon  one  of  them, 
and  the  rest  were  barren.  Moreover  he  had  three  hundred  and 
sixty  concubines,  after  the  number  of  days  in  the  Coptic  year,  who 
were  of  all  nations  ;  and  he  had  furnished  for  each  and  every  a 
private  chamber  within  his  own  palace.  For  he  had  built  twelve 
pavilions,  after  the  number  of  the  months,  each  containing  thirty 
private  chambers,  which  thus  numbered  three  hundred  and  three 
score,  wherein  he  lodged  his  handmaids  :  and  he  appointed  accord- 
ing to  law  for  each  one  her  night,  when  he  lay  with  her  and  came 
not  again  to  her  for  a  full  year  ;3  and  on  this  wise  he  abode  for  a 
length  of  time.  Meanwhile  his  son  Sharrkan  was  making  himself 
renowned  in  all  quarters  of  the  world  and  his  father  was  proud  of 
him  and  his  might  waxed  and  grew  mightier  ;  so  that  he  passed 

1  The  Jaxartes  and  the  Bactrus  (names  very  loosely  applied). 

2  In  full  "  Sharrun  kana"  i.e.  an  evil  (Sharr)  has  come  to  being  (kana),  that  is, 
"bane  to  the  foe"— a  pagan  and  knightly  name.      The  hero  of  the  Romance  "Al- 
Dalhamah  "  is  described  as  a  bitter  gourd  (colocynth)  a  viper,  a  calamity. 

3  This  is  a  Moslem  law  (Koran  chapt.  iv.  bodily  borrowed  from  the  Talmud)  which 
does  not  allow  a  man  to  marry  one  wife  unless  he  can  carnally  satisfy  her.     Moreover 
he  must  distribute  his  honours  equally  and  each  wife  has  a  right  to  her  night  unless  she 
herself  give  it  up.     This  was  the  case  even  with  the  spouses  of  the  Prophet ;  and  his 
biography  notices  several  occasions  when  his  wives  waived  their  rights  in  favour  of  one 
another.     M.  Riche  kindly  provides  the  King  with  la piquante  francaite  (p.  15). 


Tale,  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.        79 

all  bounds  and  bore  himself  masterfully  and  took  by  storm  castles 
and  cities.  Presently,  by  decree  of  the  Decreer,  a  handmaid  among 
the  handmaids  of  Omar  bin  Nu'uman  became  pregnant ;  and,  her 
pregnancy  being  announced  to  the  Harim,  the  King  was  informed 
thereof;  whereupon  he  rejoiced  with  exceeding  joy  and  said, 
"Haply  'twill  be  a  son,  and  so  all  my  offspring  will  be  males  1" 
Then  he  documented  the  date  of  her  conception  and  entreated 
her  with  all  manner  of  kindness.  But  when  the  tidings  came  to 
Sharrkan,  he  was  troubled  and  the  matter  seemed  to  him  a  sore 
one  and  a  grievous ;  and  he  said,  "  Verily  one  cometh  who  shall 
dispute  with  me  the  sovereignty : "  so  quoth  he  to  himself,  "  If  this 
concubine  bear  a  male  child  I  will  kill  it : "  but  he  kept  that  inten- 
tion hidden  in  his  heart.  Such  was  the  case  with  Sharrkan  ;  but 
what  happened  in  the  matter  of  the  damsel  was  as  follows.  She  was 
a  Roumiyah,  a  Greek  girl,  by  name  Sofiyah  or  Sophia,1  whom  the 
King  of  Roum  and  Lord  of  Caesarea  had  sent  to  King  Omar  as  a 
present,  together  with  great  store  of  gifts  and  of  rarities :  she  was 
the  fairest  of  favour  and  loveliest  of  all  his  handmaids  and  the  most 
regardful  of  her  honour ;  and  she  was  gifted  with  a  wit  as  pene- 
trating as  her  presence  was  fascinating.  Now  she  had  served  the 
King  on  the  night  of  his  sleeping  with  her,  saying  to  him,  "O 
King !  I  desire  of  the  God  of  the  Heavens  that  he  bless  thee  this 
night  with  a  male  child  by  me,  so  I  may  bring  him  up  with  the 
best  of  rearing,  and  enable  him  to  reach  man's  estate  perfect  in 
intelligence,  good  manners  and  prudent  bearing  " a — a  speech  which 
much  pleased  the  King  During  her  pregnancy  she  was  instant  in 

1  So  the  celebrated  mosque  in  Stambul,  famed  for  being  the  largest  church  in  the 
world,  is  known  to  the  Greeks  as  "  Agia  (pron.  Aya)  Sophia"  and  to  Moslems  as  "  Aya 
Sofiyeh  "  (Holy  Wisdom)  i.e.  the  Logos  or  Second  Person  of  the  Trinity  (not  a  Saintess). 
The  sending  a  Christian  girl  as  a  present  to  a  Moslem  would,  in  these  days  be  considered 
highly  scandalous.     But  it  was  done  by  the  Mukaukis  or  Coptic  Governor  of  Egypt 
(under  Heraclius)  who  of  course  hated  the  Greeks.     This  worthy  gave  two  damsels  to 
Mohammed,  one  called  Sirin  and  the  other  Mariyah  (Maria)  whom  the  Prophet  reserved 
for  his  especial  use  and  whose  abode  is  still  shown  at  Al-Medinah.     The  Rev.  Doctor 
Badger  (loc.  cit.  p.  972)  gives  the  translation  of  an  epistle  by  Mohammed  to  this  Mukaukis, 
written  in  the  Cufic  character  (??)  and  sealed  "Mohammed,  The  Apostle  of  Allah." 
My  friend  seems  to  believe  that  it  is  an  original,  but  upon  this  subject  opinions  will  differ. 
It  is,  however,  exceedingly  interesting,  beginning  with  "  Bismillah,"  etc.,  and  ending 
(before  the  signature)  with  a  quotation  from  the  Koran  (iii.  57) ;  and  it  may  be  assumed 
as  a  formula  addressed  to  foreign  potentates  by  a  Prophet  who  had  become  virtually 
•'  King  of  Arabia." 

2  This  prayer  before  "doing  the  deed  of  kind"  is,  I  have  said,  Moslem  as  well  as 
Christian. 


8o  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

prayer,  fervently  supplicating  the  Lord  to  bless  her  with  a  goodly 
male  child  and  make  his  birth  easy  to  her ;  and  Allah  heard  her 
petition  so  that  after  her  months  were  accomplished  she  sat  safely 
upon  the  birth-stool.1  Now  the  King  had  deputed  at  eunuch  to 
let  .him  know  if  the  child  she  should  bring  forth  were  male  or 
female ;  and  in  like  way  his  son  Sharrkan  had  sent  one  to  bring 
him  tidings  of  the  same.  In  due  time  Sophia  was  delivered  of  a 
child,  which  the  midwives  examined  and  found  to  be  a  girl  with 
a  face  sheenier  than  the  moon.  So  they  announced  this  to  all 
present  in  the  room,  whereupon  the  King's  messenger  carried  the 
news  to  him  ;  and  Sharrkan's  eunuch  did  the  like  with  his  master, 
who  rejoiced  with  exceeding  joy.  But,  after  the  two  had  departed, 
quoth  Sophia  to  the  midwives,  "  Wait  with  me  awhile,  for  I  feel  as 
if  there  were  still  somewhat  in  my  womb."  Then  she  cried  out  and 
the  pains  of  child-bed  again  took  her ;  and  Allah  made  it  easy  to 
her  and  she  gave  birth  to  a  second  child.  The  wise  women  looked 
at  it  and  found  it  a  boy  like  the  full  moon,  with  forehead  flower- 
white,  and  cheek  ruddy-bright  with  rosy  light ;  whereupon  the 
mother  rejoiced,  as  did  the  eunuchs  and  attendants  and  all  the 
company ;  and  Sophia  was  delivered  of  the  after-birth  whilst  all  in 
the  palace  sent  forth  the  trill  of  joy.2  The  rest  of  the  concubines 

1  Exodus  i.  16,  quoted  by  Lane  (M.  E.,  chapt.  xxvii.).    Torrens  in  his  Notes  cites 
Drayton's  "Moon-calf" :— 

Bring  forth  the  birth-stool — no,  let  it  alone  ; 
She  is  so  far  beyond  all  compass  grown, 
Some  other  new  device  us  needs  must  stead, 
Or  else  she  never  can  be  brought  to  bed.   - 

It  is  the  "groaning-chair"  of  Poor  Robin's  Almanac  (1676)  and  we  find  it  alluded  to  in 
Boccaccio,  the  classical  sedile  which  according  to  scoffers  has  formed  the  papal  chair  (a 
curule  seat)  ever  since  the  days  of  Pope  Joan,  when  it  has  been  held  advisable  for  one  of 
the  Cardinals  to  ascertain  that  His  Holiness  possesses  all  the  instruments  of  virility.  This 
"Kursi  al-wiladah"  is -of  peculiar  form  on  which  the  patient  is  seated.  A  most 
interesting  essay  might  be  written  upon  the  various  positions  -preferred  during  delivery, 
t.g.  the  wild  Irish  still  stand  on  all  fours,  like  the  so-called  "  lower  animals."  Amongst 
the  Moslems  of  Waday,  etc.,  a  cord  is  hung  from  the  top  of  the  hut,  and  the  woman  in 
labour  holds  on  to  it  standing  with  her  legs  apart,  till  the  midwife  receives  the  child. 

2  Some  Orientalists  call  "  lullilooing  "  the  trilling  cry,  which  is  made  by  raising  the 
voice  to  its  highest  pitch  and  breaking  it  by  a  rapid  succession  of  touches  on  the  palate 
with  the  tongue-tip,  others  "Ziraleet"  and  Zagaleet,  and  one  traveller  tells  us  that  it 
began  at  the  marriage-festival  of  Isaac  .and  Rebecca  (!).     Arabs  term  it  classically  Tahlil 
and  vulgarly  Zaghrutah  (Plur.  Zagharit)  and  Persians  "Kil."     Finally  in  Don  Quixote 
we  have  "  Lelilies,"  the  battle-cry  of  the  Moors  (Duffield  iii.  289).    Dr.  Buchanan 
likens  it  to  a  serpent  uttering  human  sounds,  but  the  good  missionary  heard  it  at  the 
festival  of  Jagannath  (Pilgrimage  iii.  197). 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Ni£uman  and  his  Sons.        8 1 

heard  it  and  envied  her  lot ;  and  the  tidings  reached  Omar  son  of 
Al-Nu'uman,  who  was  glad  and  rejoiced  at  the  excellent  news. 
Then  he  rose  and  went  to  her  and  kissed*  her  head,  after  which  he 
looked  at  the  boy  •  and,  bending  over  him,  kissed  him,  whilst  the 
damsels  struck  the  tabors  and  played  on  instruments  of  music ; 
and  the  King  gave  order  that  the  boy  should  be  named  Zau  al- 
Makdn  and  his  sister  Nuzhat  al-Zaman.1  They  answered  "Hearing 
and  obedience,"  and  did  his  bidding ;  so  he  appointed  wet  nurses 
and  dry  nurses  and  eunuchs  and  attendants  to  serve  them  ;  and 
assigned  them  rations  of  sugar  and  diet-drinks  and  unguents  and 
else  beside,  beyond  the  power  of  tongue  to  rehearse.  Moreover 
the  people  of  Baghdad,  hearing  that  Allah  had  blessed  their  King 
with  issue,  decorated  the  city  and  made  proclamation  of  the  glad 
tidings  with  drum  and  tom-tom ;  and  the  Emirs  and  Wazirs  and 
high  dignitaries  came  to  the  palace  and  wished  King  Omar  bin  al- 
Nu'uman  joy  of  his  son,  Zau  aJ-Makan,  and  of  his  daughter  Nuzhat 
al-Zaman,  wherefor  he  thanked  them  and  bestowed  on  them  dresses 
of  honour  and  further  favoured  them  with  gifts,  and  dealt  largesse 
to  all,  gentle  and  simple,  who  were  present.  After  this  fashion  he 
did  for  four  days  full  told,  and  he  lavished  upon  Sophia  raiment 
and  ornaments  and  great  store  of  wealth  ;  and,  every  few  days  he 
would  send  a  messenger  to  ask  after  her  and  the  new-borns.  And 
when  four  years  had  gone  by,  he  provided  her  with  the  wherewithal 
to  rear  the  two  children  carefully  afid  educate  them  with  the  best 
of  instructions.  All  this  while  his  son  Sharrkan  knew  not  that  a 
male  child  had  been  born  to  his  father,  Omar  son  of  Al-Nu'uman, 
having  news  only  that  he  had  been  blessed  with  the  birth 
of  Nuzhat  al-Zaman ;  and  they  hid  the  intelligence  from  him, 
until  days  and  years  had  sped  by,  whilst  he  was  busied  in 
battling  with  the  brave  and  fighting  single-handed  against  the 
knights.  One  day,  as  King  Omar  was  sitting  in  his  palace,  his 
Chamberlains  came  in  to  him  and,  kissing  the  ground  before 
him,  said,  "  O  King  there  be  come  Ambassadors  from  the  King 
of  Roum,  Lord  of  Constantinople  the  Great,  and  they  desire  ad- 
mission to  thee  and  submission  to  thy  decree :  if  the  King  com- 
mand us  to  introduce  them  we  will  so  do  ;  and,  if  not,  there  is  no 
disputing  his  behest."  He  bade  them  enter  and,  when  they  came 
in,  he  turned  to  them  and,  courteously  receiving  them,  asked  them 
of  their  case,  and  what  was  the  cause  of  their  coming.  They 

1  i.e.  «  Light  of  the  Place"  (or  kingdom)  and  "  Delight  of  the  Age." 
VO1.   II.  F 


82  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

kissed  the  ground  before  him  and  said,  "  O  King  glorious  and 
strong !  O  lord  of  the  arm  that  is  long !  know  that  he  who  des- 
patched us  to  thee  is  King  Afridun,1  Lord  of  Ionia-land2  and  of 
the  Nazarene  armies,  the  sovereign  who  is  firmly  established  in 
the  empery  of  Constantinople,  to  acquaint  thee  that  he  is  now 
waging  fierce  war  and  fell  with  a  tyrant  and  a  rebel,  the  Prince  of 
^Caesarea  ;  and  the  cause  of  this  war  is  as  follows.  One  of  the 
Kings  of  the  Arabs  in  past  time,  during  certain  of  his  conquests, 
'chanced  upon  a  hoard  of  the  time  of  Alexander,3  whence  he 
removed  wealth  past  compute  ;  and,  .amongst  other  things,  three 
round  jewels,  big  as  ostrich  eggs,  from  a  mine  of  pure  white  gems 
whose  like  was  never  seen  by  man.  Upon  each  were  graven 
characts  in  Ionian  characters,  and  they  have  many  virtues  and 
properties,  amongst  the  rest  that  if  one  of  these  jewels  be  hung 
round  the  neck  of  a  new-born  child,  no  evil  shall  befal  him  and  he 
shall  neither  wail,  nor  shall  fever  ail  him  as  long  as  the  jewel 
remain  without  fail.4  When  the  Arab  King  laid  hands  upon  them 
and  learned  their  secrets,  he  sent  to  King  Afridun  presents  of 
certain  rarities  and  amongst  them  the  three  jewels  afore  mentioned  ; 
and  he  equipped  for  the  mission  two  ships,  one  bearing  the  treasure 
and  the  other  men  of  might  to  guard  it  from  any  who  might  offer 
hindrance  on  the  high  seas,  albeit  well  assured  that  none  would 
dare  waylay  his  vessels,  for  that  he  was  King  of  the  Arabs,  and 
more  by  token  that  their  course  lay  over  waters  subject  to  the 
King  of  Constantinople  and  they  were  bound  to  his  port ;  nor 
were  there  on  the  shores  of  that  sea  any  save  the  subjects  of  the 
Great  King,  Afridun.  The  two  ships  set  out  and  voyaged  till  they 
drew  near  our  city,  when  there  sallied  out  on  them  certain  corsairs 
from  that  country  and  amongst  them  troops  from  the  Prince  of 
Caesarea,  who  took  all  the  treasures  and  rarities  in  the  ships, 
together  with  the  three  jewels,  and  slew  the  crews.  When  our 
King  heard  of  this,  he  sent  an  army  against  them,  but  they  routed 
it ;  then  he  marched  a  second  and  a  stronger  but  they  put  this 


1  It  is  utterly  absurd  to  give  the  old  heroic  Persian  name  Afridun  or  Furaydun,  the 
destroyer  of  Zohak  or  Zahhak,  to  a  Greek,  but  such  anachronisms  are  characteristic  of 
The  Nights  and  are  evidently  introduced  on  purpose.     See  Boccaccio,  ix.  9. 

2  Arab.  "  Yundn"  lit.  Ionia,  which  applies  to  all  Greece,  insular  and  continental, 
especially  to  ancient  Greece. 

3  In  1870 1  saw  at  Sidon  a  find  of  some  hundreds  of  gold"  Philippi"  and  "Alexanders." 

4  -M.  Riche  has  (p.  21) :— Ces  talismans  travaille"s  par  le  ciseau  du  ce"lebre  Calfaziri, 
adding  in  a  note : — Je  pense  que  c'est  un  sculpteur  Arabe. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.         83 

also  to  flight,  whereupon  the  King  waxed  wroth  and  swore  that  he 
would  not  go  forth  *  against  them  save  in  his  own  person  at  the 
head  of  his  whole  army ;  nor  would  he  turn  back  from  them  till 
he  had  left  Caesarea  of  Armenia2  in  ruins  and  had  laid  waste  all 
the  lands  and  cities  over  which  her  Prince  held  sway.  So  he  sent 
us  to  the  Lord  of  the  age  and  the  time,  Sultan  Omar  bin  al- 
Nu'uman,  King  of  Baghdad  and  of  Khorasan,  desiring  that  he  aid 
us  with  an  army,  so  may  honour  and  glory  accrue  to  him  ;  and  he 
hath  also  forwarded  by  us  somewhat  of  various  kinds  of  presents, 
and  of  the  King's  grace  he  beggeth  their  acceptance  and  the 
friendly  boon  of  furtherance."  Then  the  Ambassadors  kissed  the 

ground  before  him And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn-  of  day 

and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 

Jioto  luljcn  it  toas  t!)<!  Jfortti-sat!)  j3tgljt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that,  after  the 
Ambassadors  and  retinue  from  the  Constantinopolitan  King  had 
kissed  the  ground  before  Omar  and  had  delivered  their  embassage, 
they  brought  out  the  presents,  which  were  fifty  damsels  of  the 
choicest  from  Graecia-land,  and  fifth  Mamelukes  in  tunics  of 
brocade,  belted  with  girdles  of  gold  and  silver,  each  wearing  in 
his  ears  hoops  of  gold  with  pendants  of  fine  pearls  costing  a 
thousand  ducats  every  one.  The  girls  were  adorned  in  like 
fashion  and  were  clad  in  stuffs  worth  a  treasury  of  money.  When 
the  King  saw  them,  he  rejoiced  in  them  and  accepted  them ; 
then  he  bade  the  Ambassadors  be  honourably  entreated  and, 
summoning  his  Wazirs,  took  counsel  with  them  of  what  he  should 
do.  Herewith  rose  up  among  them  a  Wazir,  an  ancient  man, 
Danddn3  hight,  who  kissed  the  ground  before  Omar  and  said,  "  O 
King,  there  is  nothing  better  to  do  in  this  matter  than  equip  an 
army  valiant  and  victorious,  and  set  over  it  thy  son  Sharrkan  with 
us  as  his  lieutenants ;  and  this  rede  commendeth  itself  to  me  on 
two  counts ;  first,  because  the  King  of  Roum  hath  invoked  thine 
assistance  and  hath  sent  thee  gifts  which  thou  hast  accepted ;  and, 
secondly,  because  while  no  enemy  dareth  attack  our  country,  thine 


1  This  periphrase,  containing  what  seems  to  us  a  useless  negative,  adds  emphasis  in 
Arabic. 

2  This  bit  of  geographical  information  is  not  in  the  Bui.  Edit. 
*  Jn  Pers.  =  a  tooth,  the  popular  word. 


84  A  If  Lnylah  wa  Lay  la  h. 

army  may  go  forth  safely  and,  should  it  succour  the  King  of 
Graecia-land  and  defeat  his  foe,  the  glory  will  be  thine.  Moreover, 
the  news  of  it  will  be  noised  abroad  in  all  cities  and  countries  ; 
and  especially,  when  the  tidings  shall  reach  the  Islands  of  the 
Ocean  and  the  Kings  of  Mauritania  shall  hear  it,  they  will  send 
thee  offerings  of  rarities  and  pay  thee  tribute  of  money."  The  King, 
pleased  by  the  Wazir's  words  and  approving  his  rede,  gave  him  a 
dress  of  honour  and  said  to  him,  "  Of  the  like  of  thee  should 
Kings  ask  counsel,  and  it  seemeth  fit  that  thou  shouldst  conduct 
the  van  of  our  army  and  our  son  Sharrkan  command  the  main 
battle."  Then  he  sent  for  his  son  who  came  and  kissed  ground 
before  him  and  sat  down ;  and  he  expounded  to  him  the  matter, 
telling  him  what  the  Ambassadors  and  the  Wazir  Dandan  had 
said,  and  he  charged  him  to  take  arms  and  equip  himself  for  the 
campaign,  enjoining  him  not  to  gainsay  Dandan  in  aught  he  should 
do.  Moreover,  he  ordered  him  to  pick  out  of  his  army  ten  thousand 
horsemen,  armed  cap-a-pie  and  inured  to  onset  and  stress  of  war. 
Accordingly,  Sharrkan  arose  on  the  instant,  and  chose  out  a  myriad 
of  horsemen,  after  which  he  entered  his  palace  and  mustered  his 
host  and  distributed  largesse  to  them,  saying,  "  Ye  have  delay  of 
three  days."  They  kissed  the  earth  before  him  in  obedience  to  his 
commands  and  began  at  once  to  lay  in  munitions,  and  provide  pro- 
visions for  the  occasion  ;  whilst  Sharrkan  repaired  to  the  armouries 
and  took  therefrom  whatsoever  he  required  of  arms  and  armour, 
and  thence  to  the  stable  where  he  chose  horses  of  choice  blood  and 
others.  When  the  appointed  three  days  were  ended,  the  army  drew 
out  to  the  suburbs  of  Baghdad  city ;  *  and  King  Omar  came  forth  to 
take  leave  of  his  son  who  kissed  the  ground  before  him  and  received 
from  the  King  seven  parcels  of  money.2  Then  he  turned  to  Dan- 
dan  and  commended  to  his  care  the  army  of  his  son ;  and  the  Wazir 
kissed  the  ground  before  him  and  answered,  "  I  hear  .and  I  obey ;  " 
and  lastly  he  charged  Sharrkan  that  he  should  consult  the  Wazir 
on  all  occasions,  which  he  promised  to  do.  After  this,  the  King 
returned  to  his  city  and  Sharrkan  ordered  the  officers  to  muster 
their  troops  in  battle-array.  So  they  mustered  them  and  their 

1  This  preliminary  move,  called  in  Persian  Nakl-i-Safar,  is  generally  mentioned.  So 
the  Franciscan  monks  in  California,  when  setting  out  for  a  long  journey  through  the 
desert,  marched  three  times  round  the  convent  and  pitched  tents  for  the  night  under  its 
walls. 

*  In  Arab.  "  Khazinah  "  or  "  Khaznah  "  lit.  a  treasure,  representing  1,000  "  Kis  "  or 
purses  (each  =^5)-  The  sum  in  the  text  is  7»°°°  purses  X  5  =  £35,000. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.         65 

number  was  ten  thousand  horsemen,  besides  footmen  and  camp- 
followers.  Then  they  loaded  their  baggage  on  their  beasts  and  the 
war-drums  beat  and  the  trumpets  blared  and  the  bannerols  and 
standards  were  unfurled,  whilst  Sharrkan  mounted  horse,  with  the 
Wazir  Dandan  by  his  side,  and  the  colours  fluttering  over  their 
heads.  So  the  host  fared  forth  and  stinted  not  faring,  with  the 
Ambassadors  preceding  them,  till  day  departed  and  night  drew 
nigh,  when  they  alighted  and  encamped  for  the  night.  And  as  soon 
as  Allah  caused  the  morn  to  morrow,  they  mounted  and  hied  on, 
guided  by  the  Ambassadors,  for  a  space  of  twenty  days;  and  by 
the  night  of  the  twenty-first  they  came  to  a  fine  and  spacious  Wady 
well  grown  with  trees  and  shrubbery.  Here  Sharrkan  ordered  them 
to  alight  and  commanded  a  three  days'  halt,  so  they  dismounted 
and  pitched  their  tents,  spreading  their  camp  over  the  right  and 
the  left  slopes  of  the  extensive  valley,  whilst  the  Wazir  Dandan  and 
the  Ambassadors  of  King  Afridun  pitched  in  the  sole  of  the  Wady.1 
As  for  Sharrkan,  he  tarried  behind  them  for  awhile  till  all  had  dis- 
mounted and  had  dispersed  themselves  over  the  valley-sides;  he 
then  slacked  the  reins  of  his  steed,  being  minded  to  explore  the 
Wady  and  to  mount  guard  in  his  own  person,  because  of  his  father's 
charge  and  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  were  on  the  frontier  of 
Graecia-land  and  in  the  enemy's  country.  So  he  rode  out  alone 
after  ordering  his  armed  slaves  and  his  body-guard  to  camp  near 
the  Wazir  Dandan,  and  he  fared  on  along  the  side  of  the  valley  till 
a  fourth  part  of  the  night  was  passed,  when  he  felt  tired  and  drowsi- 
ness overcame  him,  so  that  he  could  no  longer  urge  horse  with  heel. 
Now  he  was  accustomed  to  take  rest  on  horseback  ;  so  when  slumber 
overpowered  him,  he  slept  and  the  steed  ceased  not  going  on  with 
him  till  half  the  night  was  spent  and  entered  one  of  the  thickets1 
which  was  dense  with  growth  ;  but  Sharrkan  awoke  not  until  his 
horse  stumbled  over  wooded  ground.  Then  he  started  from  sleep 
and  found  himself  among  the  trees ;  and  the  moon  arose  and  shone 
brightly  over  the  two  horizons,  Eastern  and  Western.  He  was 
startled  when  he  found  himself  alone  in  this  place  and  said  the  say 


1  Travellers  often  prefer  such  sites  because  they  are  sheltered  from  the  wind,  and  the 
ground  is  soft  for  pitching  tents  ;  but  many  have  come  to  grief  from  sudden  torrents  fol- 
lowing rain. 

8  Arab.  "Ghdbah  "  not  a  forest  in  our  sense  of  the  word,  but  a  place  where  water 
sinks  and  the  trees  (mostly  Mimosas),  which  elsewhere  are  widely  scattered,  form  a 
comparatively  dense  growth  and  collect  in  thickets.  These  are  favourite  places  for  wild 
beasts  during  noon-heats. 


86 


A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 


which  ne'er  yet  shamed  its  sayer,  "  There  is  no  Majesty  and  there 
is  no  Migftt  save  in  Allah,  the  Glorious,  the  Great  I"  But  as  he  rode 
on,  in  fear  of  wild  beasts,  behold,  the  moon  spread  her  glad  light 
over  a  meadow  as  if  'twere  of  the  meads  of  Paradise  ;  and  he  heard 
pleasant  voices  and  a  loud  noise  of  talk  and  laughter  captivating 
the  senses  of  men.  So  King  Sharrkan  alighted  and,  tying  his  steed 
to  one  of  the  trees,  went  over  a  little  way  till  he  came  upon  a  stream 
and  heard  a  woman  talking  in  Arabic  and  saying,  "  Now  by  the 
truth  of  the  Messiah,  this  is  not  well  of  you  !  but  whoso  utters  a 
word,  I  will  throw  her  and  truss  her  up  with  her  own  girdle ] ! "  He 
kept  walking  in  the  direction  of  the  sound  and  when  he  reached  the 
further  side  he  looked  and  behold,  a  stream  was  gushing  and  flow- 
ing, and  antelopes  at  large  were  frisking  and  roving,  and  wild 
cattle  amid  the  pasture  moving,  and  birds  expressed  joy  and  glad- 
ness in  their  divers  tongues,  and  that  place  was  purfled  with  all 
manner  flowers  and  green  herbs,  even  as  a  poet  described  it  in 
these  couplets  : — 

Most  beautiful  is  earth  in  budding  bloom,  o  When  lucid  waters  course  through 

plain  and  wood  : 
No  work  but  His  th' All-great,  th'  All-glorious,  o  Giver  of  all  gifts,  Giver  of  all 

good  .1 

And  as  Sharrkan  considered  the  place,  he  saw  in  it  a  Christian 
Monastery  within  whose  enceinte  a  castle  towered  high  in  air 
catching  the  light  of  the  moon.2  Through  the  midst  of  the  convent 
passed  a  stream,  the  water  flowing  amongst  its  gardens  ;  and  upon 
the  bank  sat  the  woman  whose  voice  he  had  heard,  while  before  her 
stood  ten  handmaids  like  moons  and  wearing  various  sorts  of 
raiment  and  ornaments  that  dazed  and  dazzled  the  beholder,  high- 
bosomed  virgins,  as  saith  of  them  the  poet  in  these  couplets  : — 


The  mead  is  bright  with  what  is  on't 
Double  its  beauty  and  its  grace 
Virgins  of  graceful  swimming  gait 
And  like  the  tendril'd  vine  they  loose 
Shooting  their  shafts  and  arrows  from 
Overpowering  and  transpiercing 


Of  merry  maidens  debonnair  : 
Those  trooping  damsels  slender-fair 
Ready  with  eye  and  lip  to  ensnare  ; 
The  rich  profusion  of  their  hair  : 
Beautiful  eyes  beyond  compare  ; 
Every  froward  adversaire. 


1  At  various  times  in  the  East  Jews  and  Christians  were  ordered  to  wear  characteristic 
garments,  especially  the  Zunnai  or  girdle. 

8  The  description  is  borrowed  from  the  Coptic  Convent,  which  invariably  has  an  inner 
donjon  or  keep.  The  oldest  monastery  in  the  world  is  Mar  Antonios  (St.  Anthony  the 
Hermit)  not  far  from  Suez  (Gold  Mines  of  Midian,  p.  85). 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.         87 

Sharrkan  gazed  upon  the  ten  girls  and  saw  in  their  midst  a  lady 
like  the  moon  at  fullest,  with  ringleted  hair  and  forehead  sheeny- 
white,  and  eyes  wondrous  wide  and  black  and  bright,  and  temple- 
locks  like  the  scorpion's  tail ;  and  she  was  perfect  irr  essence  and 
attributes,  as  the  poet  said  of  her  in  these  couplets : — 

She  beamed  on  my  sight  with  a  wondrous  glance,  o  And  her  straight  slender 
stature  enshamed  the  lance  : 

She  burst  on  my  sight  with  cheeks  rosy-red,  o  Where  all  manner  of 
beauties  have  habitance : 

And  the  locks  on  her  forehead  were  lowering  as  night  o  Whence  issues  a  dawn- 
tide  of  happiest  chance. 

Then  Sharrkan  heard  her  say  to  the  handmaids,  "Come  ye  on, 
that  I  may  wrestle  with  you  and  gravel  you,  ere  the  moon  set  and 
the  dawn  break ! "  So  each  came  up  to  her  in  turn  and  she  grounded 
them  forthright,  and  pinioned  them  with  their  girdles,  and  ceased 
not  wrestling  and  pitching  them  until  she  had  overthrown  one  and 
all.  Then  there  turned  to  her  an  old  woman  who  was  before  her, 
and  the  beldam  said  as  in  wrath,  "  O  strumpet,  dost  thou  glory  in 
grounding  these  girls  ?  Behold  I  am  an  old  woman,  yet  have  I 
thrown  them  forty  times !  So  what  hast  thou  to  boast  of?  But  if 
thou  have  the  strength  to  wrestle  with  me,  stand  up  that  I  may 
grip  thee  and  set  thy  head  between  thy  heels ! "  The  young  lady 
smiled  at  her  words,  but  she  was  filled  with  inward  wrath,  and  she 
jumped  up  and  asked,  "  O  my  lady  Zat  al-Dawahf,1  by  the  truth  of 
the  Messiah,  wilt  thou  wrestle  with  me  in  very  deed,  or  dost  thou 

jest   with   me  ? ";   and  she  answered,  "  Yea," And   Shahrazad 

perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


fofjcu  it  foas  tfje  Jfortg-sctuttf) 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  the 
young  lady  asked  Zat  al-Dawahi, "  By  the  truth  of  the  Messiah, 
wilt  wrestle  with  me  or  dost  jest  ?",  and  she  answered,"  Yea,  I  will 
wrestle  with  thee  in  very  deed  "  (Sharrkan  looking  on  the  while), 
the  damsel  cried,  "  Rise  up  for  the  fall  an  thou  have  spunk  so  to 
do."  When  the  old  woman  heard  this,  she. raged  with  exceeding 

1  "  Dawahi,"  plur.  of  Dahiyah  =  a  mishap.  The  title  means  "  Mistress  of  Mis- 
fortunes" or  Queen  of  Calamities  (to  the  enemy) ;  and  the  venerable  Udy,  as  will  be 
seen,  amply  deserved  her  name,  which  is  pronounced  Zat  ad-Dawahi. 


88  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

rage,  and  her  body-hair  stood  on  end  like  the  bristles  of  a  fretful 
hedgehog.1  Then  she  sprang  to  her  feet,  whilst  the  damsel  stood 
up  to  her,  and  said,  "  Now  by  the  truth  of  the  Messiah,  I  will  not 
wrestle  with  thee  unless  I  be  naked,  Mistress  whore  I"2  So  she 
loosed  her  petticoat-trousers  and,  putting  her  hand  under  her 
clothes,  tore  them  off  her  body ;  then  twisted  up  a  silken  kerchief 
into  cord-shape,  girt  it  round  her  middle  and  became  as  she  were 
a  scald-head  Ifritah  or  a  spotted  snake.  With  this  she  inclined 
towards  the  damsel  and  said,  "  Do  thou  as  I  have  done."  All  this 
time,  Sharrkan  was  gazing  at  the  twain,  and  laughing  at  the 
beldam's  loathly  semblance.  So  the  damsel  leisurely  rose  and, 
taking  a  sash  of  Yamani  stuff,  passed  it  twice  round  her  waist, 
then  she  tucked  up  her  trousers  and  displayed  two  calves  of 
alabaster  carrying  a  mound  of  crystal,  smooth  and  rounded,  and 
a  stomach  which  exhaled  musk  from  its  dimples,  as  it  were  a  bed 
of  Nu'uman's  anemones;  and  breasts  like  double  pomegranates. 
Then  the  old  woman  leant  towards  her,  and  the  two  laid  hold 
either  of  each,  while  Sharrkan  raised  his  head  Heavenwards  and 
prayed  Allah  that  the  belle  might  beat  the  beldam.  Presently 
the  young  woman  gat  beneath  the  old  woman ;  and,  gripping  her 
waist-cloth  with  the  left  and  circling  her  neck  with  the  right  hand, 
hoisted  her  off  the  ground  with  both  ;  whereupon  the  old  woman 
strove  to  free  herself  and,  in  so  doing  fell  on  her  back  arsiversy, 
with  her  legs  high  in  air  and  her  hairy  bush  between  them  showed 
manifest  in  the  moonshine ;  furthermore  she  let  fly  two  great  farts* 
one  of  which  blew  up  the  dust  from  the  earth's  face  and  the  other 
steamed  up  to  the  gate  of  Heaven.  Sharrkan  laughed  till  he  fell 
back  upon  the  ground.  Then  he  arose  and,  baring  his  brand 
looked  right  and  left,  but  he  saw  no  one  save  the  old  woman 
sprawling  on  her  back,  and  said  to  himself,  "  He  lied  not  who 
named  thee  Lady  of  Calamities !  Verily  thou  knewest  her  prowess 
by  her  performance  upon  the  others."  So  he  drew  near  them  to 
hear  what  should  pass  between  them.  Then  the  young  lady  went 


1  Arab.  "  Kunfuz  "  =  hedgehog  or  porcupine. 

2  These  flowers  of  speech  are  mere  familiarities,  not  insults.     In  societies  where  the 
sexes  are  separated  speech  becomes  exceedingly  free.     Etourdie  que  vous  etes,  says 
M.  Riche,  toning  down  the  text. 

3  Arab.  "Zirt,"  a  low  word.     The  superlative"  Zarrat "  (fartermost)  or,  "  Abu  Zirt " 
(Father  of  farts)  is  a  facetious  term  among  the  bean-eating  Fellahs  and  a  deadly  insult 
amongst  the  Badawin  (Night  ccccx.)-     The  latter  prefer  the  word  Taggaa  (Pilgrimage 
tii.  84).    We  did  not  disdain  the  word  in  farthingale  =  pet  en  air. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.          89 

up  to  the  old  one  and,  throwing  a  wrapper  of  thin  silk  upon  her 
nakedness,  helped  her  to  don  her  clothes  and  made  excuses  saying, 
"O  my  lady  Zat  al-Dawahi,  I  intended  only  to  throw  thee  and  not 
all  this,  but  thou  triedst  to  twist  out  of  my  hands;  so  laud  to  Allah 
for  safety ! "  She  returned  her  no  answer,  but  rose  in  her  shame 
and  walked  away  till  out  of  sight,  leaving  the  handmaids  prostrate 
and  pinioned,  with  the  fair  damsel  standing  amongst  them.  Quoth 
Sharrkan  to  himself,  "  Every  luck  hath  its  cause.  Sleep  did  not 
fall  upon  me  nor  the  war-horse  bear  me  hither  save  for  my  good 
fortune  ;  for  doubtless  this  maid  and  what  is  with  her  shall  become 
booty  to  me."  So  he  made  towards  his  steed  and  mounted  and 
heeled  1  him  on,  when  he  sped  as  the  shaft  speeds  from  the  bow, 
and  in  his  hand  he  still  hent  his  brand  bare  of  sheath,  which  he 
brandished  shouting  the  while  his  war-cry, "  Allah  is  All-mighty1!" 
When  the  damsel  saw  him  she  sprang  to  her  feet  and,  taking  firm 
stand  on  the  bank  of  the  stream,  whose  breadth  was  six  ells,  the 
ion  al  cubits,  made  one  bound  and  landed  clear  on  the  farther 
side,8  where  she  turned  and  cried  out  with  a  loud  voice,  "  Who  art 
thou,  O  thou  fellow,  that  breakest  in  upon  our  privacy  and  pastimef 
and  that  too  hanger  in  hand  as  if  charging  a  host  ?  Whence  earnest 
thou  and  whither  art  thou  going?  Speak  sooth,  for  truth  will 
stand  thee  in  good  stead,  and  lie  not,  for  lies  come  of  villein-breed. 
Doubtless  thou  hast  wandered  this  night  from  thy  way,  that  thou 
chancedst  upon  this  place  whence  escape  were  the  greatest  of 
mercies  ;  for  thou  art  now  in  an  open  plain  and,  did  we  shout  but 
a  single  shout,  would  come  to  our  rescue  four  thousand  knights.4 
So  tell  me  what  thou  wantest ;  and  if  thou  wouldst  only  have 
us  set  thee  on  the  right  road,  we  will  do  so."  When  Sharrkan 
heard  her  words  he  replied,  "  I  am  a  stranger  of  the  Moslems,  who 
fared  forth  this  night  single-handed,  seeking  for  spoil ;  nor  could 
this  moonlight  show  me  a  fairer  booty  than  these  ten  maidens ;  so 


1  Arab.  "  kicked  '*  him,  i.e.  with  the  sharp  comer  of  the  shovel-stirrup.     I  avoid  such 
expressions  as  "spurring"   and  "pricking  over  the  plain,"   because  apt   to  give  a 
wrong  idea. 

2  Arab.  "  Allaho  Akbar  !"  the  classical  Moslem  slogan. 

3  Arab  horses  are  never  taught  to  leap,  so  she  was  quite  safe  on  the  other  side  of  a 
brook  nine  feet  broad. 

4  "Batrik"  (vulg.  Bitifk)  zrpatricius,  a  title  given  to  Christian  knights  who  com- 
manded ten  thousand  men  ;  the  Tarkhan  (or  Nobb)  heading  four  thousand,  and  the 
Kaumas  (Arab.  Kaid)  two  hundred.     It  must  not  be  confounded  with  Batrak  (or  Batrik) 
=  patriarcha  (Lane's  Lex.). 


QO  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

I  shall  seize  them  and  rejoin  my  comrades  with  them."  Quoth 
she,  "  I  would  have  thee  know  that  as  for  the  booty  thou  hast  not 
come  at  it ;  and,  as  for  the  handmaids,  by  Allah,  they  shall  never 
be  thy  spoil.  Have  I  not  told  thee  that  to  lie  is  villein-vile?" 
Quoth  he,  "  The  wise  man  is  he  who  taketh  warning  by  others." 
Thereupon  quoth  she,  "  By  the  truth  of  the  Messiah,  did  I  not  fear 
that  thy  death  would  be  on  my  hands,  I  would  shout  a  shout  should 
fill  the  mead  for  thee  with  war  steeds  and  with  men  of  might,  but 
I  take  pity  upon  the  stranger.  So,  if  thou  seek  booty,  I  require  of 
thee  that  thou  alight  from  thy  steed  and  swear  to  me,  by  thy  faith, 
that  thou  wilt  not  advance  against  me  aught  like  arms  in  hand,  and 
we  will  wrestle,  I  and  thou.  If  thou  throw  me,  set  me  on  thy 
steed  and  take  all  of  us  to  thy  booty;  but  if  I  throw  thee,  thou 
shalt  become  under  my  command.  Swear  this  to  me,  for  I  fear 
thy  treachery :  indeed  it  hath  become  a  common  saw,  Where 
Perfidy  is  innate  there  Trust  is  a  weakly  mate.  Now  an  thou 
wilt  swear  I  will  return  and  draw  near  to  thee  and  tackle  thee." 
Answered  Sharrkan  (and  indeed  he  lusted  to  seize  her  and  said 
in  his  soul,  "Truly  she  knoweth  not  that  I  am  a  champion  of 
champions ") ;  "  Swear  me  by  what  oath  thou  wilt  and  by  what 
thou  deemest  most  binding,  and  I  will  not  approach  thee  with 
aught  till  thou  hast  made  thy  preparation  and  sayest : — Draw  near 
that  I  wrestle  with  thee.  If  thou  throw  me,  I  have  money  where- 
withal to  ransom  myself;  and  if  I  throw  thee,  'twill  be  booty  and 
booty  enough  for  me ! "  Rejoined  the  damsel,  "  I  am  content 
herewith ! "  and  Sharrkan  was  astounded  at  her  words  and  said, 
ft  And  by  the  truth  of  the  Apostle  (whom  Allah  bless  and  keep !) 
I  too  am  content  on  the  other  part ! "  Then  said  she,  "  Swear  to 
me  by  Him  who  sprite  in  body  dight  and  dealt  laws  to  rule  man- 
kind aright,  that  thou  wilt  not  offer  me  aught  of  violence  save  by 
way  of  wrestling ;  else  mayst  thou  die  without  the  pale  of  Al- 
Islam."  Sharrkan  replied,  "  By  Allah  !  were  a  Kazi  to  swear  me, 
even  though  he  were  a  Kazi  of  the  Kazis,1  he  would  not  impose 
upon  me  such  an  oath  as  this  ! "  Then  he  sware  to  her  by  all  she 
named  and  tied  his  steed  to  a  tree ;  but  he  was  drowned  in  the  sea 
of  thought,  saying  in  himself,  "  Praise  be  to  Him  who  fashioned 


1  Arab.  "  Kazi  al-Kuzat,"  a  kind  of  Chief  Justice  or  Chancellor.  The  office  was 
established  under  the  rule  of  Harun  al-Rashid,  who  so  entitled  Abu  Yusuf  Ya'akub  al- 
Ansiri  :  therefore  the  allusion  is  anachronistic.  The  same  Caliph  also  caused  the  Olema 
to  dress  as  they  do  still. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu  uman  and  his  Sons.         91 

jher  from  dirty  water ! " »  Then  he  girt  himself  and  made  ready  for 
wrestling,  and  said  to  her,  "Cross  the  stream  to  me;"  but  she 
replied,  "  It  is  not  for  me  to  come  over  to  thee :  if  thou  wilt,  pass 
thou  over  here  to  me."  "  I  cannot  do  that/'  quoth  he,  and  quoth 
she,  "  O  boy,  I  will  come  across  to  thee."  So  she  tucked  up  her 
skirts  and,  leaping,  landed  on  the  other  side  of  the  stream  by  his 
side  ;  whereupon  he  drew  near  to  her  and  bent  him  forwards  and 
clapped  palms.2  But  he  was  confounded  by  her  beauty  and  loveli- 
ness ;  for  he  saw  a  shape  which  the  Hand  of  Power  had  tanned 
with  the  dye-leaves  of  the  Jdnn,  which  had  been  fostered  by  the 
Hand  of  Beneficence  and  fanned  by  the  Zephyrs  of  fair  fortune  and 
whose  birth  a  propitious  ascendant  had  greeted.  Then  she  called 
out  to  him,  "  O  Moslem,  come  on  and  let  us  wrestle  ere  the  break 
of  morning,"  and  tucked  up  her  sleeves  from  a  forearm  like  fresh 
curd,  which  illumined  the  whole  place  with  its  whiteness;  and 
Sharrkan  was  dazzled  by  it.  Then  he  bent  forwards  and  clapped 
his  palms  by  way  of  challenge,  she  doing  the  like,  and  caught  hold 
of  her,  and  the  two  grappled  and  gripped  and  interlocked  hands 
and  arms.  Presently  he  shifted  his  hands  to  her  slender  waist, 
when  his  finger  tips  sank  into  the  soft  folds  of  her  middle,  breeding 
languishment,  and  he  fell  a.  trembling  like  the  Persian  reed  in  the 


1  The  allusion  is  Koranic :  "  O  men,  if  ye  be  in  doubt  concerning  the  resurrection, 
consider  that  he  first  created  you  of  the  dust  of  the  ground  (Adam) ;  afterwards  of  seed  " 
(chapt.  xxii. ).  But  the  physiological  ideas  of  the  Koran  are  curious.  It  supposes  that 
the  Mani  or  male  semen  is  in  the  loins  and  that  of  women  in  the  breast  bone  (chapt. 
Ixxxvi.) ;  that  the  mingled  seed  of  the  two  (chapt.  Ixxvi.)  fructifies  the  ovary  and  that  the 
child  is  fed  through  the  navel  with  menstruous  blood,  hence  the  cessation  of  the  cata- 
menia  Banoi  (Kalilah  and  Dimnah)  says: — "Man's  seed,  falling  into  the  woman's 
womb,  is  mixed  with  her  seed  and  her  blood  :  when  it  thickens  and  curdles  the  Spirit 
moves  it  and  it  turns  about  like  liquid  cheese  ;  then  it  solidifies,  its  arteries  are  formed,  its 
limbs  constructed  and  its  joints  distinguished.  If  the  babe  is  a  male,  his  face  is  placed 
towards  his  mother's  back  ;  if  a  female,  towards  her  belly.  (P.  262,  Mr.  I.  G.  N.  Keith- 
Falconer's  translation.)  But  there  is  a  curious  prolepsis  of  the  spermatozoa-theory.  We 
read  (Koran  chapt.  vii.),  "Thy  Lord  drew  forth  their  posterity  from  the  loins  of  the 
sons  of  Adam  ; "  and  the  commentators  say  that  Allah  stroked  Adam's  back  and 
extracted  from  his  loins  all  his  posterity,  which  shall  ever  be,  in  the  shape  of  small  ants ; 
these  confessed  their  dependence  on  God  and  were  dismissed  to  return  whence  they 
came."  From  this  fiction  it  appears  (says  Sale)  that  the  doctrine  of  pre-existence  is  not 
unknown  to  the  Mohammedans;  and  there  is  some  little  conformity  between  it  and  the 
modern  theory  of  generatio  ex  animalculis  in  semine  marium.  The  poets  call  this  Yaum- 
i-Alast  =  the  Day  of  Am-I-not  (-your  Lord)?  which  Sir  William  Jones  most  unhappily 
translated  "Art  thou  not  with  thy  Lord?"  (Alasta  bi  Rabbi-kum)  ;  and  they  produce 
a  grand  vision  of  unembodied  spirits  appearing  in  countless  millions  before  their  Creator. 

a  The  usual  preliminary  of  a  wrestling  bout." 


92  Atf  Laylah  wa  Lay  I  ah. 

roaring  gale.  So  she  lifted  him  up  and,  throwing  him  to  the 
ground,  sat  upon  his  breast  with  hips  and  hinder  cheeks  like 
mounds  of  sand,  for  his  soul  had  lost  mastery  over  his  senses* 
Then  she  asked  him,  "  O  Moslem !  the  slaying  of  Nazarenes  is 
lawful  to  you  folk  ;  what  then  hast  thou  to  say  about  being  slain 
thyself?" ;  and  he  answered,  "O  my  lady,  thy  speech  as  regards 
slaying  me  is  not  other  than  unlawful ;  for  our  prophet  Mohammed 
(whom  Allah  bless  and  preserve  !)  prohibited  the  slaying  of  women 
and  children,  old  men  and  monks  !  "  "  As  it  was  thus  revealed  to 
your  Prophet,"  she  replied,  "  it  behoveth  us  to  render  the  equivalent 
of  his  mercy  ;  so  rise.  I  give  thee  thy  life,  for  generosity  is  never 
lost  upon  the  generous."  Then  she  got  off  his  breast  and  he 
rose  and  stood  shaking  the  dust  from  his  head  against  the  owners 
of  the  curved  rib,  even  women  ;  and  she  said  to  him,  "  Be  not 
ashamed  ;  but  verily  one  who  entereth  the  land  of  Roum  in  quest 
of  booty,  and  cometh  to  assist  Kings  against  Kings,  how  happeneth 
it  that  he  hath  not  strength  enough  to  defend  himself  from  one 
made  out  of  the  curved  rib  ? "  "  Twas  not  for  lack  of  strength  in 
me,"  he  answered  ;  "  nor  didst  thou  throw  me  by  thy  force ;  it  was 
thy  loveliness  overthrew  me;  so  if  thou  wilt  grant  me  another  bout, 
it  will  be  of  thy  courtesy."  She  laughed  and  said,  "  I  grant  thee 
thy  request :  but  these  handmaids  have  long  been  pinioned  and 
their  arms  and  sides  are  weary,  and  it  were  only  right  I  should 
loose  them,  for  haply  this  next  wrestling  bout  will  be  long."  Then 
she  went  to  the  slave-girls  and,  unbinding  them,  said  to  them  in 
the  tongue  of  Greece,  "  Get  ye  to  some  safe  place,  till  I  foil  this 
Moslem's  lust  and  longing  for  you."  So  they  went  away,  whilst 
Sharrkan  kept  gazing  at  them  and  they  kept  turning  to  Took  at  the 
two.  Then  each  approached  the  adversary  and  he  set  \his  breast 
against  hers,  but  when  he  felt  waist  touch  waist,  his  strength  failed 
him ;  and  she,  waxing  ware  of  this,  lifted  him  with  her  hands 
swiftlier  than  the  blinding  leven-flash,  and  threw  him  to  the 
ground.  He  fell  on  his  back,1  and  then  she  said  to  him,  "  Rise : 
\  give  thee  thy  life  a  second  time.  I  spared  thee  in  the  first  count 
because  of  thy  Prophet,  for  that  he  made  unlawful  the  slaying  of 
women ;  and  I  do  so  on  the  second  count  because  of  thy  weak- 
liness  and  the  greenness  of  thine  years  and  thy  strangerhood  ;  but 
I  charge  thee,  if  there  be  in  the  Moslem  army  sent  by  Omar  bin 

1  In  Eastern  wrestling  this  counts  as  a  fair  fall.    So  Ajax  fell  on  his  back  vith  Ulysses 
on  his  breast  (Iliad  xxxii.,  700,  etc.). 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'iiman  and  his  Sons.         93 

al-Nu'man  to  succour  the  King  of  Constantinople,  a  stronger  than 
thou,  send  him  hither  and  tell  him  of  me :  for  in  wrestling  there 
are  shifts  and  trips,  catches  and  holds,  such  as  the  feint  or  falsing 
and  the  snap  or  first  grip,  the  hug,  the  feet-catch,  the  thigh- 
bite,1  the  jostle  and  the  leg-lock."  "  By  Allah,  O  my  lady,"  quoth 
Sharrkan  (and  indeed  he  was  highly  incensed  against  her),  "  had  I 
been  Master  al-Safdf,  Master  Mohammed  Kimdl  or  Ibn  al-Saddf,2 
as  they  were  in  their  prime,  I  had  kept  no  note  of  these  shifts  thou 
mentionest;  for  O  my  mistress,  by  Allah,  thou  hast  not  grassed 
me  by  thy  strength,  but  by  the  blandishments  of  thy  back-parts ; 
for  we  men  of  Mesopotamia  so  love  a  full-formed  thigh  that  nor 
sense  was  left  me  nor  foresight.  But  now,  an  thou  wish,  thou  shalt 
try  a  third  fall  with  me  while  my  wits  are  about  me,  and  this  last 
match  is  allowed  me  by  the  laws  of  the  game  which  sayeth  the 
best  of  three :  moreover  I  have  regained  my  presence  of  mind." 
When  she  heard  his  words  she  said  to  him,  "  Hast  thou  not  had 
a  belly-full  of  this  wrestling,  O  vanquished  one  ?  However  come 
on,  an  thou  wilt ;  but  know  that  this  must  be  the  last  round." 
Then  she  bent  forward  and  challenged  him  and  Sharrkan  did 
likewise,  setting  to  it  in  real  earnest  and  being  right  cautious 
about  the  throw:  so  the  two  strove  awhile  and  the  damsel  found 
in  him  a  strength  such  as  she  not  observed  before  and  said  to 
him,  "  O  Moslem,  thou  art  now  on  thy  mettle  "  "  Yes,"  he  replied, 
"thou  knowest  that  there  remaineth  to  me  but  this  one  round, 
after  which  each  of  us  will  wend  a  different  way."  She  laughed 
and  he  laughed  too;3  then  she  overreached  at  his  thigh  and  caught 
firm  hold  of  it  unawares,  which  made  him  greet  the  ground  and 
fall  full  on  his  back.  She  laughed  at  him  and  said,  "  Art  thou  an 
eater  of  bran  ?  Thou  art  like  a  Badawi's  bonnet  which  falleth  off 
with  every  touch  or  else  the  Father  of  Winds4  that  droppeth 
before  a  puff  of  air.  Fie  upon  thee,  O  thou  poor  thing !  "  adding, 
"  Get  thee  back  to  the  Moslem  army,  and  send  us  other  than 


1  So  biting  was  allowed  amongst  the  Greeks  in  the  ovcucXtvoTroX^,  the  final  struggle 
on  the  ground. 

2  Supposed  to-be  names  of  noted  wrestlers.  "  Kayim  "  (not  El-Kim  as  Torrens  has  it) 
is  a  term  now  applied  to  a  juggler  or  "professor"  of  legerdemain  who  amuses  people  in 
the  streets  with  easy  tricks  (Lane,  M.  E.,  chapt.  xx.). 

3  Lit.  "laughed  in  his  face"  which  has  not   the  unpleasant  meaning  it  bears  in 
English. 

4  Arab.  "Abu  riydh"  =  a  kind  of  child's  toy.    It  is  the  "  Po/x£os"  of  the  Greeks, 
.»ur  "  bull-roarer  "  well  known  in  Australia  and  parts  of  Africa. 


94  <Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

thyself,  for  thou  failest  of  thews  ;  and  proclaim  for  us,  among  the 
Arabs  and  Persians,  the  Turks  and  Daylamites,1  whoso  hath  might 
in  him,  let  him  come  to  us."  Then  she  made  a  spring  and  landed 
on  the  other  side  of  the  stream  and  said  to  Sharrkan,  laughing, 
"  Parting  with  thee  is  right  grievous  to  me,  O  my  lord ;  but  get 
thee  to  thy  mates  before  dawn,  lest  the  Knights  come  upon  thee 
and  pick  thee  up  on  their  lance-points.  Thou  hast  no  strength  to 
defend  thee  against  a  woman,  so  how  couldst  thou  hold  thine  own 
amongst  men  of  might  and  Knights  ? "  Sharrkan  was  confounded 
and  called  to  her  (as  she  turned  from  him  making  towards  the 
convent),  "  O  my  lady,  wilt  thou  go  away  and  leave  the  miserable 
stranger,  the  broken  hearted  slave  of  love  ? "  So  she  turned  to 
him  laughing  and  said,  "What  is  thy  want?  I  will  grant  thee 
thy  prayer/'  "  Have  I  set  foot  in  thy  country  and  tasted  the 
sweetness  of  thy  courtesy," replied  he, "and  shall  I  return  without 
eating  of  thy  victual  and  tasting  thy  hospitality ;  I  who  have 
become  one  of  thy  servitors!"  "None  baulk  kindliness  save  the 
base,"  she  rejoined,  "  honour  us  in  Allah's  name,  on  my  head  and 
eyes  be  it!  Mount  thy  steed  and  ride  along  the  brink  of  the 
stream  over  against  me,  for  now  thou  art  my  guest."  At  this 
Sharrkan  was  glad  and,  hastening  back  to  his  horse,  mounted  and 
walked  him  abreast  of  her,  and  she  kept  faring  on  till  they  came 
to  a  drawbridge2  built  of  beams  of  the  white  poplar,  hung  by 
pullies  and  steel-chains  and  made  fast  with  hooks  and  padlocks. 
When  Sharrkan  looked,  he  saw  awaiting  her  upon  the  bridge  the 
same  ten  handmaids  whom  she  had  thrown  in  the  wrestling- 
bouts  ;  and,  as  she  came  up  to  them,  she  said  to  one  in  the 
Greek  tongue,  "Arise  and  take  the  reins  of  his  horse  and  conduct 
him  across  into  the  convent."  So  she  went  up  to  Sharrkan  and 
led  him  over,  much  puzzled  and  perturbed  with  what  he  saw,  and 
saying  to  himself,  "  O  would  that  the  Wazir  Dandan  were  here 
with  me  that  his  eyes  might  look  upon  these  fairest  of  favours." 
Then  he  turned  to  the  young  lady  and  said  to  her,  "  O  marvel  of 
loveliness,  now  I  have  two  claims  upon  thee ;  first  the  claim  of 
good-fellowship,  and  secondly  for  that  thou  hast  carried  me  to  thy 
home  and  offered  me  thy  hospitality.  I  am  now  under  thy  com- 


1  The  people  of  the  region  south  of  the  Caspian  which  is  called  "  Sea  of  Daylam." 
It  has  a  long  history;  for  which  see  D'Herbelot,  s.v.  "  Dilem." 
8  Coptic  convents  in  Egypt  still  affect  these  drawbridges  over  the  keep-moat. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al~Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.          95 

mandance  and  thy  guidance ;  so  do  me  one  last  favour  by  accom- 
panying me  to  the  lands  of  Al-Islam ;  where  thou  shalt  look  upon 
many  a  lion-hearted  warrior  and  thou  shalt  learn  who  I  am." 
When  she  heard  this  she  was  angered  and  said  to  him,  "  By  the 
truth  of  the  Messiah,  thou  hast  proved  thyself  with  me  a  man  of 
keen  wit ;  but  now  I  see  what  mischief  there  is  in  thy  heart,  and 
how  thou  canst  permit  thyself  a  speech  which  proveth  thy  traitorous 
intent.  How  should  I  do  as  thou  sayest,  when  I  wot  that  if  I  came 
to  that  King  of  yours,  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  I  should  never  get 
free  from  him  ?  For  truly  he  hath  not  the  like  of  me  or  behind 
his  city  walls  or  within  his  palace-halls,  Lord  of  Baghdad  and  of 
Khorasan  though  he  be,  who  hath  built  for  himself  twelve  pavilions, 
in  number  as  the  months  of  the  year,  and  in  each  a  concubine  after 
the  number  of  the  days  ;  and  if  I  come  to  him  he  would  not  prove 
shy  of  me,  for  your  folk  believe  I  am  lawful  to  have  and  to  hold  as 
is  said  in  your  writ :— Or  those  women  whom  your  right  hand  shall 
possess  as  slaves.1  So  how  canst  thou  speak  thus  to  me  ?  As  for 
thy  saying: — Thou  shalt  look  upon  the  braves  of  the  Moslems,  by 
the  truth  of  the  Messiah,  thou  sayest  that  which  is  not  true,  for  I 
saw  your  army  when  it  reached  our  land,  these  two  days  ago ;  and 
I  did  not  see  that  your  ordinance  was  the  ordinance  of  Kings,  but 
I  beheld  only  a  rabble  of  tribesmen  gathered  together.  And  as  to 
thy  words  : — Thou  shalt  know  who  I  am,  I  did  not  do  thee  kindness 
because  of  thy  dignity  but  out  of  pride  in  myself;  and  the  like 
of  thee  should  not  talk  thus  to  the  like  of  me,  even  wert  thou 
Sharrkan,  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman's  son,  the  prowcst  name  in  these 
days  !  "  "  Knowest  thou  Sharrkan  ? "  asked  he  ;  and  she  answered 
"Yes!  and  I  know  of  his  coming  with  an  army  numbering  ten 
thousand  horsemen ;  also  that  he  was  sent  by  his  sire  with  this  force 
to  gain  prevalence  for  the  King  of  Constantinople."  "  O  my  lady," 
said  Sharrkan,  "I  adjure  thee  by  thy  religion,  tell  me  the  cause  of 
all  this,  that  sooth  may  appear  to  me  clear  of  untruth,  and  with 
whom  the  fault  lies."  "  Now  by  the  virtue  of  thy  faith,"  she  replied, 
"did  I  not  fear  lest  the  news  of  me  be  bruited  abroad  that  I  am  of 
the  daughters  of  Roum,  I  would  adventure  myself  and  sally  forth 


4  Koran  iv.,  xxii.  etc.,  meaning  it  is  lawful  to  marry  women  taken  in  war  after  the 
necessary  purification  although  their  husbands  be  still  living.  This  is  not  permitted  with 
a  free  woman  who  is  a  True  Believer.  I  have  noted  that  the  only  concubine  slave-girls 
Mentioned  in  the  Koran  are  these  "captives  possessed  by  the  right  hand." 


96  Alf  Laylah  wa  Lay  la  k. 

single-handed  against  the  ten  thousand  horsemen  and  slay  their 
leader,  the  Wazir  Dandan  and  vanquish  their  champion  Sharrkan.1 
Nor  would  aught  of  shame  accrue  to  me  thereby,  for  I  have  read 
books  and  studied  the  rules  of  good  breeding  in  the  language  of 
the  Arabs.  But  I  have  no  need  to  vaunt  my  own  prowess  to  thee, 
more  by  token  as  thou  hast  proved  in  thy  proper  person  my  skill 
and  strength  in  wrestling;  and  thou  hast  learnt  my  superiority 
over  other  women.  Nor,  indeed,  had  Sharrkan  himself  been  here 
this  night  and  it  were  said  to  him  : — Clear  this  stream,  could  he 
fcave  done  it ;  and  I  only  long  and  lust  that  the  Messiah  would 
throw  him  into  my  hands  in  this  very  convent,  that  I  might  go 
forth  to  him  in  the  habit  of  a  man  and  drag  him  from  his  saddle- 
seat  and  make  him  my  captive  and  lay  him  in  bilboes." And 

Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  per- 
mitted say. 


jgofo  fofjen  it  foa»  tfte  JFor(B--ri<$tf)  Jit'gbt. 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  the 
Nazarene  damsel  said  to  Sharrkan  (and  he  listening  impatiently 
enow),  "Verily  if  Sharrkan  fell  into  my  hands,  I  would  go  forth 
to  him  in  the  habit  of  a  man  and  drag  him  from  his  saddle-seat 
and  make,  him  my  captive  and  lay  him  in  bilboes,"  pride  and 
passion  and  knightly  jealousy  took  possession  of  him  and  he 
desired  to  discover  and  declare  himself  and  to  lay  on  load ;  but  her 
loveliness  restrained  him.  and  he  began  repeating  : — 

An  faulty  of  one  fault  the  Beauty  prove,  o  Her  charms  a  thousand  advocates 
shall  move. 

So  she  went  up  and  Sharrkan  after  her ;  and,  when  he  saw  the 
maiden's  back  and  hinder  cheeks  that  clashed  against  each  other, 
like  rollers  in  the  rolling  sea,  he  extemporised  these  couplets : — 


1  The  Amazonian  dame  is  a  favourite  in  folk-lore  and  is  an  ornament  to  poetry  from 
the  Iliad  to  our  modern  day.  Such  heroines,  apparently  unknown  to  the  Pagan  Arabs, 
were  common  in  the  early  ages  of  Al-Islam  as  Ockley  and  Gibbon  prove,  and  that  the 
race  is  not  extinct  may  be  seen  in  my  Pilgrimage  (iii.  55)  where  the  sister  of  Ibn  Rumi 
resolved  to  take  blood  revenge  for  her  brother. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons*'        97 

For  her  sins  is  a  pleader  that  brow,  o  And  all  hearts  its  fair  pleading  must 

trow  : 

When  I  saw  it  I  cried,  "To-night    o  The  moon  at  its  fullest  doth  show ; 
Tho'  Balkis1  own  Ifrit1  try  a  bout,    o  Spite  his  force  she  would  deal  him  a 

throw. 

The  two  fared  on  till  they  reached  a  gate  over  which  rose  a  marble 
archway.  This  she  opened  and  ushered  Sharrkan  into  a  long 
vestibule,  vaulted  with  ten  connected  arches,  from  each  of  which 
hung  a  crystal  lamp  glistening  like  a  spark  of  fire.  The  handmaids 
met  her  at  the  further  end  bearing  wax  candles  of  goodly  perfume, 
and  wearing  on  their  heads  golden  fillets  crusted  with  all  manner 
bezel-gems,2  and  went  on  before  her  (Sharrkan  still  following),  till 
they  reached  the  inner  convent.  There  the  Moslem  saw  couches 
and  sofas  ranged  all  around,  one  opposite  the  other  and  all  over- 
hung with  curtains  flowered  in  gold.  The  monastery  floor  was 
paved  with  every  kind  of  vari-coloured  marbles  and  mosaic-work, 
and  in  the  midst  stood  a  basin  that  held  four-and-twenty  jetting 
fountains  of  gold,  whence  the  water  ran  like  molten  silver  ;  whilst 
at  the  upper  end  stood  a  throne  spread  with  silks  fit  only  for 
Kings.  Then  said  the  damsel,  "Ascend,  O  my  lord,  this  throne/' 
So  he  went  up  to  it  and  sat  down  and  she  withdrew  to  remain 
absent  for  some  time.  Sharrkan  asked  of  her  from  one  of  the 
servants  who  answered  him,  "  She  hath  gone  to  her  dormitory ; 
but  we  will  serve  thee  even  as  she  ordered."  So  they  set  before 
him  viands  of  rare  varieties,  and  he  ate  his  sufficiency,  when  they 
brought  him  a  basin  of  gold  and  an  ewer  of  silver,  and  he  washed 
his  hands.  Then  his  thoughts  reverted  to  his  army,  knowing  not 
what  had  befallen  it  in  his  absence  and  calling  to  mind  also  how 


1  And  Solomon  said,  "  O  nobles,  which  of  you  will  bring  me  her  throne  ?  "    A  terriblt 
genius  (i.e.  an  Ifrit  of  the  Jinn  named  Dhakwan  or  the  notorious  Sakhr)  said,  "  1  will 
bring  it  unto  thee  before  thou  arise  from  thy  seat  (of  justice) ;  for  I  am  able  to  perform 
it,  and  may  be  trusted  "  (Koran,  xxvii.  38-39).     Balkis  or  Bilkls  (says  the  Durrat  at- 
Ghawwds)  daughter  of  Hozad  bin  Sharhabil,  twenty-second  in  the  list  of  the  rulers  of 
Al-Vaman,  according  to  some  murdered  her  husband,  and  became,  by  Moslem  ignorance, 
the  Biblical  ••  Queen  of  Sheba."    The  A  by  ssinians  transfer  her  from  Arabian  Saba  to 
Ethiopia  and  make  her  the  mother  by  Solomon  of  Menelek,  their  proto-monarch  ;  thus 
claiming  for  their  royalties  an  antiquity  compared  with  which  all  reigning  houses  in  the 
world  are  of  yesterday.     The  dates  of  the  Tabahi'ah  or  Tobbas  prove  that  the  Bilkis  of 
history  ruled  Al-Yaman  in  the  early  Christian  era. 

2  Arab. ««  Fass,"  fiss  or  fuss ;  the  gem  set  in  a  ring ;  also  applied  to  a  hillock  rounded 
tn  eabochon.     In  The  Nights  it  is  used  to  signify  "  a  fine  gem." 

VOL.  II.  G 


98  A  If  Laylak  wa  Laylah. 

he  had  forgotten  his  father's  injunctions :  so  he  was  troubled 
about  his  case,  repenting  of  what  he  had  done  till  the  dawn  broke 
and  the  day  appeared ;  when  he  lamented  and  sighed  and  became 
drowned  in  the  sea  of  sadness  and  repeated  : — 

I  am  not  lost  to  prudence,  but  indeed  o  Here  I'm  bewildered,  what  shall 

be  my  rede  ? 
[Would  any  aid  me  in  mine  ails  of  love,  o  By    my   own   might  and  sleight 

would  I  be  free'd  : 
But  ah!  my  heart  is  lost  and  passion-shent:  o  To  none  save  Allah  can  I  trust  my 

need! 

When  he  ended  his  verse  behold,  there  came  up  to  him  a  rare 
show  and  a  fair,  more  than  twenty  maidens  like  crescents  encom- 
passing the  young  lady,  who  shone  in  their  midst  as  the  full  moon 
among  the  constellations  guarding  and  girding  her.  She  was  clad 
in  brocades  befitting  Kings ;  her  breasts  were  like  twin  pome- 
granates, a  woven  zone  set  with  all  kinds  of  jewels  tightly  clasped 
her  waist  which  expanded  below  into  jutting  hips  ;  and  her  hinder 
cheeks  stood  out  as  a  mound  of  crystal1  supporting  a  silvern 
shaft.  When  Sharrkan  looked  at  her  his  wits  went  nigh  to  fly 
away  from  him  with  delight ;  and  he  forgot  army  and  Wazir  as  he 
gazed  on  her  fair  head  decked  and  dight  with  a  net-work  of  pearls 
set  off  by  divers  sorts  of  gems  Handmaids  on  her  right  and 
handmaids  on  her  left  bore  her  train,  as  she  paced  with  dainty 
graceful  gait  in  all  the  pride  of  seemlihead.  He  sprang  to  his 
feet  seeing  such  beauty  and  loveliness,  and  cried  aloud,  "  Beware 
and  beware  of  that  zone  rarely  fair ! "  and  broke  out  into  these 
couplets : — 

With  heavy  back-parts,  high  breasts  delicate,  o  And  lissome  form  that  sways 

with  swimming  gait, 
She  deftly  hides  love-longing  in  her  breast ;  o  But  I  may  never  hide  its  ban 

and  bate : 
While  hosts  of  followers  her  steps  precede,2  o  Like  pearls  now  necklaced  and 

now  separate. 

She  gazed  upon  him  for  a  long  time  and  considered  him  till  she 
was  assured  of  him,  when  she  came  up  to  him  and  said,  "In  very 


1  This  prominence  of  the  glutsei  muscles  is  always  insisted  upon,  because  it  is  supposed 
to  promise  well  in  a  bed-fellow.     In  Somali-land,  where  the  people  are  sub-steatopygous, 
a  rich  young  man,  who  can  afford  such  luxury,  will  have  the  girls  drawn  up  in  line  and 
choose  her  to  wife  who  projects  furthest  behind. 

2  The  •'  bull "  is  only  half  mine. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  a?-Nu*untan  and  his  Sons.          99 

sooth  the  place  is  honoured  and  illumined  by  thee,  O  Sharrkan ! 
How  sped  thy  night,  O  hero,  after  we  went  away  and  left  thee  ?  " ; 
adding,  "  Verily  lying  is  a  vile  thing  and  a  shameful,  especially  in 
great  Kings !  and  thou  art  Crown-Prince  Sharrkan,  son  and  heir  of 
King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  ;  so  henceforth  make  no  secret  of  thy 
rank  and  condition,  nor  let  me  hear  aught  from  thee  but  the  truth  ; 
for  leasing  bequeatheth  hate  and  despite.  And  as  thou  art  pierced 
by  the  shaft  of  Fate,  be  resignation  thine  and  abide  content  to 
wait."  When  he  heard  her  words  he  saw  that  artifice  availed  him 
naught  and  he  acknowledged  the  truth,  saying,  "  I  am  Sharrkan, 
bin  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  whom  fortune  hath  afflicted  and  cast 
into  this  place  ;  so  whatso  thou  wiliest,  do  it  in  my  case !  "  She 
hung  her  head  groundwards  a  long  while,  then  turned  to  him  and 
said,  "  Be  of  good  cheer  and  let  thine  eyes  be  cool  and  clear  j1  for 
thou  art  the  guest  of  my  hospitality,  and  bread-and-salt  hath  made 
a  tie  between  me  and  thee  ;  wherefore  thou  art  in  my  ward  and 
under  my  safeguard.  Have  no  fear  for,  by  the  truth  of  the  Messiah, 
if  all  on  earth  sought  to  do  thee  hurt  they  should  not  come  at  thee, 
till  life  had  left  my  body  for  thy  sake  :  indeed  thou  art  now  under 
the  charge  of  the  Messiah  and  of  me."  Hereat  she  sat  her  down 
by  his  side  and  fell  to  playing  with  him,  till  his  alarm  subsided  and 
he  knew  that  had  she  desired  to  slay  him,  she  would  have  done  so 
during  the  past  night.  Presently  she  bespoke  in  the  Grecian 
tongue  one  of  her  slave-girls,  who  went  away  and  soon  came  back 
bringing  a  beaker  and  a  tray  of  food  ;  but  Sharrkan  abstained  from 
eating  and  said  to  himself,  "  Haply  she  hath  put  somewhat  in  this 
meat."  She  knew  what  was  in  his  thought ;  so  she  turned  to  him 
and  said,  "  By  the  truth  of  the  Messiah,  the  case  is  not  on  such 
wise,  nor  is  there  aught  in  this  meat  of  what  thou  suspectestl,  Had 
my  mind  been  set  on  slaying  thee,  I  had  slain  thee  ere  now."  Then 
she  walked  up  to  the  tray  and  ate  of  every  dish  a  mouthful;  where- 
upon Sharrkan  came  forward  and  ate  too.  She  was  pleased  at 
this  and  both  ate  till  they  were  satisfied.  They  washed  their  hands 
and  after  that  she  rose  and  ordered  a  handmaid  to  bring  perfumes 
and  herbs  of  sweet  savour,  wines  of  all  colours  and  kinds  and  a 
wine-service  with  vessels  of  gold,  silver  and  crystal.  She  filled  a 
first  goblet  and  drank  it  off  before  offering  it  to  him,  even  as  she 
had  done  with  the  food  :  then  she  cowned  a  second  and  handed  it 


A  favourite  Arab  phrase,  the  "  hot  eye  "  is  ooe  full  of  tears. 


IOO  Arf  Laylak  wa  Laylah. 

to  him.  He  drank  and  she  said  to  him,  "  O  Moslem,  see  how  thou 
art  here  in  all  solace  and  delight  of  life  !  "  And  she  ceased  not  to 

drink  and  ply  him  with  drink,  till  he  took  leave  of  his  wits, 

And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day,  and  ceased  saying  her 
permitted  say. 

jgofo  fo&en  Ct  foa*  tje  jfortg-nmtS  jBt'g&t, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  damsel 
ceased  not  to  drink  and  ply  Sharrkan  with  drink  till  he  took  leave 
of  his  wits,  for  the  wine  and  the  intoxication  of  love  he  bore  her. 
Presently  she  said  to  the  slave-giil,  "  O  Marjdnah  M  bring  us  some 
instruments  of  music ! "  "  To  hear  is  to  obey,"  said  the  hand- 
maid and  going  out,  returned  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  with  a 
Damascus  lute,2  a  Persian  harp,  a  Tartar  pipe,  and  an  Egyptian 
dulcimer.  The  young  lady  took  the  lute  and,  after  tuning  each 
several  string,  began  in  gentle  undersong  to  sing,  softer,  than 
zephyr's  wing  and  sweeter  than  Tasmin  3-spring,  with  heart  safe 
and  secure  from  everything  the  couplets  following : — 

Allah  assain  those  eyne !    What  streams  of  blood  they  shed !  o  How  many 

an  arrowy  glance  those  lids  of  thine  have  sped. 
I  love  all  lovers  who  to  lovers  show  them  dure ;  o  'Twere  wrong  to  rue  the 

love  in  wrong-head  born  and  bred : 
Haply  fall  hapless  eye  for  thee  no  sleeping  kens  !  o  Heaven  help  the  hapless 

heart  by  force  of  thee  misled  ! 
Thou  doomest  me  to  death  who  art  my  king,  and  I  o  Ransom  with  life  the 

deemster  who  would  doom  me  dead. 

Thereupon  each  and  every  of  the  maidens  rose  up  and  taking  an 
instrument,  played  and  recited  couplets  in  the  Roumi  tongue ; 
then  their  mistress  sang  also  and  seeing  Sharrkan  in  ecstasies 


1  i.e.  "Coral,"  coral  branch;  a  favourite  name  for  a  slave-girl,  especially  a  negress. 
It  is  the  older  "  Morgiana."    I  do  not  see  why  Preston  in  Al-Hanri's  "Makamah 
(Stance)  of  Singar"  renders  it  pearls,  because  Golius  gives  "small  pearls,"  when  it  is 
evidently  "coral."     Richardson  (Dissert,  xlviii.)  seems  to  me  justified  in  finding  the 
Pari  (fairy)  Marjan  of  heroic  Persian  history  reflected  in  the  Fairy  Morgain  who  carried 
off  King  Arthur  after  the  battle  of  Camelon. 

2  Arab.  "  'Ud  Jalaki  "  =  Jalak  or  Jalik  being  a  poetical  and  almost  obsolete  name  of 
Damascus. 

3  The  fountain  in  Paradise  whose  water  shall  be  drunk  with  "pure"  wine  mixed  and 
tealed  with  musk  (for  clay).     It  is  so  called  because  it  comes  from   the  "Sanam" 
(Sanima,  to  be  high)  boss  or  highest  ridge  of  the  Moslem  Heaven  (Koran  Iv.  78  and 
Ixxxiii.  27).     Mr.  Rodwell  says  *'it  is  conveyed  to  the  highest  apartments  in  the 
Pavilions  of  Paradise."  (?) 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Ntiuman  and  his  Sons.        IOI 

asked  him,  "O  Moslem,  dost  thou  understand  what  I  say?";  and 
he  answered,  "  Nay,  my  ecstasy  cometh  from  the  beauty  of  thy 
finger-tips."  She  laughed  and  continued,  "  If  I  sing  to  thee  in 
Arabic  what  wouldst  thou  do  ? "  "  I  should  no  longer,"  quoth  he, 
"be  master  of  my  senses."  Then  she  took  an  instrument  and, 
changing  the  measure,  beg&n  singing  these  verses : — 

The  smack  of  parting's  myrrh  to  me,  o  How,  then,  bear  patience*  aloe"  ? 
I'm  girt  by  ills  in  trinity  o  Severance,  distance,  cruelty ! 

My  freedom  stole  that  fairest  she,   o  And  parting  irks  me  bitterly. 

When  she  ended  her  verse,  she  looked  at  Sharrkan  and  found 
him  lost  to  existence,  and  he  lay  for  a  while  stretched  at  full 
length  and  prone  among  the  maidens.1  Then  he  revived  and, 
remembering  the  songs,  again  inclined  to  mirth  and  merriment ; 
and  the  twain  returned  to  their  wine  and  wassail,  and  continued 
their  playing  and  toying,  their  pastime  and  pleasure  till  day  ceased 
illuminating  and  night  drooped  her  wing.  Then  the  damsel  went 
off  to  her  dormitory  and  when  Sharrkan  asked  after  her  they 
answered,  "She  is  gone  to  her  sleeping-chamber/'  whereto  he 
rejoined,  "  Under  Allah's  ward  and  His  good  guard!"  As  soon 
as  it  was  morning,  a  handmaid  came  to  him  and  said  to  him,  "  My 
mistress  biddeth  thee  to  her."  So  he  rose  and  followed  her  and, 
as  he  drew  near  her  lodging,  the  damsels  welcomed  him  with 
smitten  tabrets  and  songs  of  greeting,  and  led  him  through  a  great 
door  of  ivory  studded  with  pearls  and  jewels.  Thence  they  passed 
with  him  into  a  tall  and  spacious  hall,  at  the  upper  end  of  which 
was  a  wide  daYs  carpeted  with  all  kinds  of  silks,  and  round  it  open 
lattices  commanding  a  view  of  trees  and  streams.  About  the 
saloon  were  figures  carved  in  human  form,  and  fashioned  on  such 
wise  that  the  air  passed  through  them  and  set  in  motion  musical 
instruments  within,  so  that  the  beholder  would  fancy  they  spoke.1 
Here  sat  the  young  lady,  looking  at  the  figures  ;  but  when  she  saw 
Sharrkan,  she  sprang  to  her  feet  and,  taking  him  by  the  hand, 
made  him  sit  down  by  her  side,  and  asked  him  how  he  had 
passed  the  night.  He  blessed  her  and  the  two  sat  talking  awhile 
till  she  asked  him,  "  Knowest  thou  aught  touching  lovers  and 


1  This  "  hysterical  "  temperament  is  not  rare  even  amongst  the  bravest  Arabs. 

3  An  idea  evidently  derived  from  the  ^Colipyla  (olla  animatoria)  the  invention  of  Hero 
Alexandrinus,  which  showed  that  the  ancient  Egyptians  could  apply  the  motive  force  of 
si  cam. 


IO2  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

slaves  of  love  ? " ;  and  he  answered  "  Yes  !  I  wot  somewhat  in  verse 
on  that  matter."  "Let  me  hear  it,"  quoth  she,  so  he  began 

quoting : — 

Pleasure  and  health,  good  cheer,  good  appetite  o  To  Azzah,  freest  with  our 

name  and  fame ! 
By  Allah  !  would  I  near  her  off  she  flies  o  At  tangent,  granting  less  the  more 

I  claim : 
I  dote  on  Azzah,  but  when  clear  I  off  o  My  rivals,  clears  me  too  that  dearest 

dame; 
Like  wandering  wight  that  chose  for  shade  a  cloud  o  Which,  ere  siesta  done, 

thin  air  became. 

When  she  heard  this  she  said,  "  Verily  Al-Kuthayyir l  was  con- 
spicuous for  sweet  speech  and  chaste,  and  he  was  superlative  in 
his  praise  of  Azzah  when  he  sang  (and  she  began  to  recite) : — 

"  Did  Azzah  deal  behest  to  Sun  o'  noon,  o  The  judge  had  'judged  her  beauty's 

bestest  boon ; 
And  girls  who  come  to  me  and  carp  at  her,  o  God  make  their  rosy  cheeks  her 

sandal- shoon!" 

"  And  indeed,"  quoth  she,  "  'twas  said  that  Azzah  boasted  exceed- 
ing beauty  and  loveliness."  Then  she  asked  Sharrkan  saying, 
"O  Prince,  dost  thou  know  aught  of  Jamil's2  verses  to  Buthaynah? 
if  so  repeat  to  us  somewhat  of  them  ; "  and  he  answered,  "  Yes,  I 
know  them  better  than  any ; "  whereupon  he  began  repeating  these 
couplets : — 

"  Jamfl,  in  Holy  war  go  fight!  "  to  me  they  say  :  o  What  war  save  fight  for  fair 

ones  would  I  e'er  essay  ? 
To  me  their  every  word  and  work  are  mere  delight,  o  And  martyrs  clepe  I  all 

they  slay  in  fight  and  fray  : 
An  ask  I,  "  O  Buthaynah !  what's  this  love,  I  pray,  o  Which  eats  my  heart  ? 

quoth  she  "  'Twill  stay  for  ever  and  aye  !  " 
And  when  I  cry,  "  Of  wits  return  some  small  display  o  For  daily  use,"  quoth 

she,  "  Far,  far  'tis  fled  away  !  " 
Thou  seekst  my  death ;  naught  else  thy  will  can  satisfy  o  While  I  no  goal 

espy  save  thee  and  thee  alway. 


1  Kuthayyir  ibn  Abi  Jumah,  a  poet  and  far-famed  Riwf  or  Tale-reciter,  mentioned  by 
Ibn  Kballikan :  he  lived  at  Al-Medinah  and  sang  the  attractions  of  one  Azzah,  hence  his 
soubriquet  Sahib  (lover  of)  Azzah.     As  he  died  in  A.H.  105  ( =  726),  his  presence  here 
is  a  gross  anachronism  :  the  imaginary  Sharrkan  flourished  before  the  Caliphate  of  Abd 
al-Malik  bin  Marwan  A.H.  65-86. 

2  Jamil  bin  Ma'amar,  a  poet  and  lover  contemporary  with  Al-Kuthayyir. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.        103 

"Thou  hast  spoken  right  well,"  said  she,  "O  King's  son,  and 
Jamil  also  spoke  excellently  well.  But  what  would  Buthaynah 
have  done  with  him  that  he  saith  in  his  hemistich : — 

Thou  seekst  my  death  ;  naught  else  thy  will  can  satisfy  ? 

"O  my  lady,"  quoth  Sharrkan,  "she  willed  to  do  him  what  thou 
wiliest  to  do  with  me,  and  even  that  will  not  satisfy  thee."  She 
laughed  at  his  opportune  reply  and  they  ceased  not  carousing 
till  Day  put  out  her  light  and  Night  came  in  darkness  dight.  Then 
she  rose  and  went  to  her  dormitory  and  slept,  while  Sharrkan  slept 
in  his  place  till  morning  dawned.  As  soon  as  he  awoke,  the  hand- 
maids came  to  him  with  tabrets  and  other  instruments  of  mirth 
and  merriment,  as  wont ;  and,  kissing  the  ground  between  his 
hands,  said  to  him,  "  Bismillah  ! — in  Allah's  name — be  so  kind  as 
to  come1 :  our  mistress  biddeth  thee  to  her  presence  1"  So  he  rose 
and  accompanied  the  slave-girls  who  surrounded  him,  playing  on 
tabrets  and  other  instruments  of  music,  till  they  passed  from  that 
saloon  into  another  and  a  yet  more  spacious  hall,  decorated  with 
pictured  likenesses  and  figures  of  birds  and  beasts,  passing  all 
description.  Sharrkan  marvelled  at  the  art  and  artifice  of  the  place 
and  began  reciting  : — 

He  pluckt  fruits  of  her  necklace  in  rivalry,  o  And  her  breast-pearls  that  bedded 

in  gold-mine  lie. 
Pure  water  on  silvern  bars  is  her  brow,       o  And  her  cheeks  show  roses  with 

rubies  vie  : 
Meseems  in  her  eyne  that  the  violet's  hue    o  Lies  purpling  set  in  the  Ithmid's* 

dye. 


1  Arab.  "Tafazzal,"  a  word  of  frequent  use  in  conversation  =  "  favour  me,"  etc. 

*  The  word  has  a  long  history.  From  the  Gr.  ori/i^u  or  <m£i  if  the  Lat.  stibium ; 
while  the  Low-Latin  "antimonium"  and  the  Span.  Althimod  are  by  metathesis  for 
AUthmid.  The  dictionaries  define  the  substance  as  a  stone  from  which  antimony  is  pre- 
pared ;  but  the  Arabs  understand  a  semi-mythical  mineral  of  yellow  colour  which  enters 
into  the  veins  of  the  eyes  and  gives  them  lynx-like  vision.  The  famous  Anz  nicknamed 
Zarka  (the  blue-eyed)  of  Yamamah  (Province)  used  it ;  and,  according  to  some,  invented 
Kohl.  When  her  (protohistoric)  tribe  Jadis  had  destroyed  all  the  rival  race  of  Tasm, 
except  Ribah  ibn  Murrah  ;  the  sole  survivor  fled  to  the  Tobba  of  Al-Yaman,  who  sent  a 
host  to  avenge  him.  The  king  commanded  his  Himyarites  to  cut  tree-boughs  and  use 
them  as  screens  (again  Birman  wood).  Zarka  from  her  Utum,  or  peel-tower,  saw  the  army 
three  marches  off  and  cried,  "  O  folk,  either  trees  or  Himyar  are  coming  upon  you  !  " 
adding,  in  Rajaz  verse  :— 

I  swear  by  Allah  that  trees  creep  onward,  or  that  Himyar  beareth  somewhat  which  he 
draweth  along ! 

She  then  saw  a  man  mending  his  sandal.     But  Jadis  disbelieved  ;  Cassandra  wu. slain 


IO4  A  If  Laylak  wa  Laylah. 

When  the  lady  saw  Sharrkan,  she  stood  up  to  him  in  honour 
taking  his  hand,  seated  him  by  her  side  and  asked, "  O  son  of  King 
Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  hast  thou  any  cunning  in  the  game  of 
chess  ? "  "  Yes,"  he  answered,  "  but  do  not  thou  with  me  as  said 
the  poet : — 

I  speak  and  longing   love   upties  me  and    unties    me ;  o  Till     with    her 

honey-dew  of  inner  lip  she  plies  me  : 
I  brought  the  chess-board  and  my  liefest  lover  plays  me  o  With  white  and 

black,1  but  black-cum-white  ne'er  satisfies  me  : 
'Twas  as  if  King  for  Castle  I  were  fain  to  place  me  o  Till    wilful   loss 

of  game  atwixt  two  queens  surprise  me  : 
And   if   I    seek   to    read   intent   in    eyes    that    eye   me  o  Oh    man !    that 

glance  askance  with  hint  of  wish  defies  me. 

Then  she  brought  the  chess-board  and  played  with  him ;  but 
Sharrkan,  instead  of  looking  at  her  moves,  kept  gazing  at  her  fair 
mouth,  and  putting  knight  in  place  of  elephant  and  elephant* 
in  stead  of  knight.  She  laughed  and  said  to  him,  "  If  thy  play  be 
after  this  fashion,  thou  knowest  naught  of  the  game."  "This  is 
only  our  first,"  replied  he,  "judge  not  by  this  bout."  When  she 
beat  him  he  replaced  the  pieces  in  position  and  played  again  with 
her ;  but  she  beat  him  a  second  time,  a  third,  a  fourth  and  a  fifth. 
So  she  turned  to  him  and  said,  "  Thou  art  beaten  in  everything  ; " 
and  he  replied,  "  O  my  lady,  how  should  one  playing  with  the  like 
of  thee  avoid  being  beaten  ?  "  Then  she  bade  bring  food,  and  they 
ate  and  washed  their  hands  ;  after  which  the  wine  was  set  before 
them  and  they  drank.  Presently,  she  took  the  dulcimer,  for  her 


and,  when  her  eyes  were  cut  out,  the  vessels  were  found  full  of  Ithmid.  Hence  Al- 
Mutanabbi  sang : 

"  Sharper-sighted  than  Zarkd  of  Jau"  (Yamamah). 

See  C.  de  Perceval  i.  101 ;  Arab.  Prov.  i.  192 ;  .and  Chenery  (p.  381.  The  Assemblies 
of  Al-Hariri ;  London,  Williams  and  Norgate,  1867).  I  have  made  many  enquiries  into 
the  true  nature  of  Ithmid  and  failed  to  learn  anything  :  on  the  Upper  Nile  the  word  is 
=  Kohl. 

1  The  general  colour  of  chessmen  in  the  east,  where  the  game  is  played  on  a  cloth  more 
often  than  a  board. 

8  Arab.  "  Al-fil,"  the  elephant  =  the  French  fol  or  fou  and  our  bishop.  I  have 
derived  "elephant"  from  Pil  (old  Persian,  Sansk.  Pilu)  and  Arab.  Fil,  with  the  article 
Al-Fil,  whence  the  Greek  cAe'<£as  the  suffix — as  being  devoted  to  barbarous  words  as 
Obod-as  (Al-Ubayd),  Aretas  (Al-Haris),  etc.  Mr.  Isaac  Taylor  (The  Alphabet  i.  169), 
preserves  the  old  absurdity  of  "eleph-ant  or  ox-like  (!)  beast  of  Africa."  Prof.  Sayce 
finds  the  word  al-ab  (two  distinct  characters)  in  line  3,  above  the  figure  of  an  (Indian) 
elephant,  on  the  black  obelisk  of  Nimrod  Mound,  and  suggests  an  Assyrian  derivation. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.        10$ 

hand  was  cunning  in  smiting  it,  and  she  began  repeating  to  an 
accompaniment  these  couplets : — 

Twixt  the  close-tied  and  open-wide  no  medium  Fortune  knoweth  ;  o  Now 
ebb  and  flow  then  flow  and  ebb  this  wise  her  likeness  showeth  : 

Then  drink  her  wine  the  syne  she's  thine  and  smiling  thou  dost  find  her  ;  o  Anon 
she'll  fall  and  fare  away  when  all  thy  good  forth  goeth. 

They  ceased  not  to  carouse  till  nightfall  and  this  day  was 
pleasanter  even  than  the  first.  When  darkness  set  in,  the  lady 
betook  her  to  her  dormitory,  leaving  him  alone  with  the  hand- 
maids ;  so  he  threw  himself  on  the  ground  and  slept  till  dawn,  when 
the  damsels  came  to  him  with  tambourines  and  other  instruments 
according  to  custom.  Seeing  them  he  roused  him  hastily  and  sat 
up ;  and  they  carried  him  to  their  mistress,  who  came  to  meet  him 
and,  taking  him  by  the  hand,  seated  him  by  her  side.  Then  she 
asked  him  how  he  had  passed  his  night,  whereat  he  prayed  that 
her  life  be  prolonged ;  and  she  took  the  lute  and  sang  to  it  these 
verses  which  she  improvised  : — 

Ne'er  incline  thee  to  part  o  Which  embitters  the  heart ; 
E'en  the  sun  when  he  sets  o  Shall  in  pallor  depart. 

While  they  were  solacing  themselves  after  this  fashion,  behold,  there 
arose  a  great  and  sudden  clamour,  and  a  confused  crowd  of  knights 
and  men  rushed  in,  holding  drawn  swords  that  glittered  and 
gleamed  in  their  hands,  and  cried  aloud  in  the  Grecian  tongue, 
"  Thou  hast  fallen  into  our  hands,  O  Sharrkan,  so  make  thee  sure 
of  death  !  "  When  he  heard  this,  he  said  to  himself,  "  By  Allah, 
she  hath  entrapped  me  and  held  me  in  play,  till  her  men  should 
come.  These  are  the  Knights  with  whom  she  threatened  me ; 
but  'tis  I  who  have  thrown  myself  into  this  strait."  Then  he  turned 
towards  the  young  lady  to  reproach  her,  but  saw  that  she  had 
changed  colour  and  her  face  was  pale  ;  and  she  sprang  to  her  feet 
and  asked  the  crowd,  "  Who  are  ye  ?"  "  O  most  gracious  Princess 
and  peerless  union-pearl,"  answered  the  leading  Knight,  "dost 
thou  weet  who  is  yon  man  by  thy  side  ?  "  "  Not  I,"  she  replied, 
"  who  may  he  be  ?  "  Quoth  the  Patrician, "  This  is  of  towns  the 
highwayman  !  This  is  he  who  rideth  In  the  horseman's  van !  This 
is  Sharrkan,  son  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  !  This  is  he  that 
forceth  fortalice  and  penetrateth  every  impregnable  place !  The 
news  of  him  reached  King  Hardub,  thy  father,  by  report  of  the 
ancient  dame  Zat  al-Dawahi ;  and  thy  sire,  our  sovereign,  hath 


106  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

/ 

made  sure  that  thou  hast  rendered  good  service  to  the  army  of 
the  Greeks  by  taking  captive  this  ominous  lion."   When  she  heard 
this,  she  looked  at   the  Knight  and  asked  him,  "What  be  thy 
name?"  and   he   answered,    "I  am   Masurah,  son   of  thy   slave 
Mausurah   bin    Kdshardah,   Knight   of   Knights."  "  And   how  ? " 
quoth  she,  "  durst  thou  enter  my  presence  without  leave  ?"    Quoth 
he, "  O  my  lady,  when  I  came  to  the  gate,  none  forbade  me,  neither 
chamberlain  nor  porter,  but  all  the  door-keepers  rose  and  forewent 
us  as  of  wont ;  although,  when  others  come,  they  leave  them  standing 
at  the  gate  while  they  ask  permission  to  admit  them.     But  this  is 
not  a  time  for  long  talking,  when  the  King  is  expecting  our  return 
with  this  Prince,  the  scorpion-sting1  of  the  Islamitic  host,  that  he 
may  kill  him  and  drive  back  his  men  whither  they  came,  without 
the  bane  of  battling  with  them."  "  These  words  be  ill  words," 
rejoined  the  Princess, "  and  DameZatal-Dawahi  lied,  avouching  an 
idle  thing  and  a  vain,  whereof  she  weeteth  not  the  truth  ;  for  by 
the  virtue  of  the  Messiah,  this  man  who  is  with  me  is  not  Sharrkan, 
nor  is  he  a  captive,  but  a  stranger  who  came  to  us  seeking  our 
hospitality,  and  I  made  him  my  guest.     So  even  were  we  assured 
that  this  be  Sharrkan  and  were  it  proved  to  us  that  it  is  he  beyond 
a  doubt,  I  say  it  would  ill  befit  mine  honour  that  I  should  deliver 
into  your  hands  one  who  hath  entered  under  my  protection.     So 
make  me  not  a  traitor  to  my  guest  and  a  disgrace  among  men  ; 
but  return  to  the  King,  my  father,  and  kiss  the  ground  before  him, 
and  inform  him  that  the  case  is  contrariwise  to  the  report  of  the 
Lady  Zat  al-Dawahi."  "  O  Abrizah,"  replied  Masurah,  the  Knight, 
"  I  cannot  return  to  the  King's  majesty  without  his  debtor  and 
enemy."  Quoth  she  (and  indeed  she  had  waxed  very  wroth), "  Out 
on  thee !    Return  to  him  with  my  answer,  and  no  blame   shall 
befal  thee  !  "     Quoth  Masurah,  "  I  will  not  return  without  him." 
Thereupon  her  colour  changed  and  she  exclaimed,  "  Exceed  not  in 
talk  and  vain  words ;  for  verily  this  man  had  not  come  in  to  us, 
were  he  not  assured  that  he  could  of  himself  and  single-handed 
make  head  against  an  hundred  riders ;  and  if  I  said  to  him : — 
Thou  art  Sharrkan,  son  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  he  would 
answer,  Yes.     But  'tis  not  of  your  competence  to  let  or  hinder 
him ;  for  if  you  so  do,  he  will  not  turn  back  from  you  till  he  hath 
slain  all  that  are  in  this  place.     Behold,  here  he  is  by  my  side,  and 

1  Arab.  "Shaukat"  which  may  also  mean  the  "pride  "or  "mainstay"  (of  the 
army). 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.        107 

I  will  bring  him  before  you  sword  and  targe  in  hand."  "  Albeit  I 
were  safe  from  thy  wrath/*  answered  Masurah  the  Knight, "  I  am 
not  safe  from  that  of  thy  father,  and  when  I  see  him,  I  shall  sign 
to  the  Knights  to  take  him  captive,  and  we  will  carry  him  to  the 
King  bound  and  in  abject  sort."  When  she  heard  this,  she  said, 
«'  The  matter  shall  not  pass  thus,  for  'twould  be  blazoning  mere 
folly.  This  man  is  but  one  and  ye  are  an  hundred  Knights  :  so  if 
you  would  attack  him  come  out  against  him,  one  after  one,  that  it 
may  appear  to  the  King  which  is  the  valiant  amongst  you."— 
And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her 
permitted  say. 

jtfofo  toljcn  ft  foas  t&e  jFtftictf)  Xigfjt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Princess 
Abrizah  said  to  the  Knight,  "  This  man  is  but  one,  and  ye  are  an 
hundred :  so  if  ye  would  attack  him,  come  out  against  him,  one 
after  one,  that  it  may  appear  to  the  King  which  is  the  valiant." 
Quoth  Masurah,  the  Knight,  "By  the  truth  of  the  Messiah,  thou 
sayest  sooth,  and  none  but  I  shall  sally  out  against  him  first." 
Quoth  she,  "  Wait  till  I  go  to  him  and  acquaint  him  with  the  case 
and  hear  what  answer  he  will  make.  If  he  consent,  'tis  well ;  but 
if  he  refuse,  ye  shall  on  no  wise  come  to  him,  for  I  and  my  hand 
maids  and  whosever  is  in  the  convent  will  be  his  ransom."  So 
she  went  to  Sharrkan  and  told  him  the  news,  whereat  he  smiled 
and  knew  that  she  had  not  informed  any  of  the  Emirs ;  but 
that  tidings  of  him  had  been  bruited  and  blazed  abroad,  till  the 
report  reached  the  King,  against  her  wish  and  intent.  So  he 
again  began  reproaching  himself  and  said,  "  How  came  I  to  ad- 
venture and  play  with  my  life  by  coming  to  the  country  of  the 
Greeks  ? "  But  hearing  the  young  lady's  proposal  he  said  to  her, 
"  Indeed  their  onset,  one  after  one,  would  be  overburdensome  to 
them.  Will  they  not  come  out  against  me,  ten  by  ten  ? "  "  That 
would  be  villeiny,"  said  she  ;  "  Let  one  have  at  one."  When  he 
heard  this,  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  made  for  them  with  his  sword 
and  battle-gear ;  and  Masurah,  the  Knight,  also  sprang  up  and 
bore  down  upon  him.  Sharrkan  met  him  like  a  lion  and  delivered 
a  shoulder  cut1  which  clove  him  to  the  middle,  and  the  blade  came 

1  Lit.  "  smote  him  on  the  tendons  of  his  neck."  This  is  the  famous  shoulder-cut 
(Tawashshuh)  which,  with  the  leg-cut  (Kalam),  formed,  and  still  forms,  the  staple  of 
Eastern  attack  with  the  sword. 


IO8  A  If  Lay  la  ft  wa  Laylah. 

out  gleaming  and  glittering  from  his  back  and  bowefs.  When  the 
lady  beheld  that  swashing  blow,  Sharrkan's  might  was  magnified 
in  her  sight  and  she  knew  that  when  she  overthrew  him  in  the 
wrestle  it  was  not  by  her  strength  but  by  her  beauty  and  loveli- 
ness. So  she  turned  to  the  Knights  and  said,  "  Take  wreak  for 
your  chief! "  Thereupon  out  came  the  slain  man's  brother,  a 
fierce  and  furious  Knight,  and  rushed  upon  Sharrkan,  who  delayed 
not,  but  smote  him  also  with  the  shoulder-cut  and  the  sword  came 
out  glittering  from  his  vitals.  Then  cried  the  Princess,  "  O  ye 
servants  of  the  Messiah,  avenge  your  comrade ! "  So  they  ceased 
not  charging  down  upon  him,  one  after  one ;  and  Sharrkan  also 
ceased  not  playing  upon  them  with  the  blade,  till  he  had  slain  fifty 
knights,  the  lady  looking  on  the  while.  And  Allah  cast  a  panic 
into  the  hearts  of  the  survivors,  so  that  they  held  back  and  dared 
not  meet  him  in  the  duello,  but  fell  upon  him  in  a  body  ;  and  he 
laid  on  load  with  heart  firmer  than  a  rock,  and  smote  them  and 
trod  them  down  like  straw  under  the  threshing-sled,1  till  he  had 
driven  sense  and  soul  out  of  them.  Then  the  Princess  called 
aloud  to  her  damsels,  saying,  "  Who  is  left  in  the  convent  ?  " ; 
and  they  replied,  "  None  but  the  gate-keepers  ; "  whereupon  she 
went  up  to  Sharrkan  and  took  him  to  her  bosom,  he  doing  the 
same,  and  they  returned  to  the  palace,  after  he  had  made  an  end 
of  the  metee.  Now  there  remained  a  few  of  the  Knights  hiding 
from  him  in  the  cells  of  the  monastery,  and  when  the  Princess  saw 
this  she  rose  from  Sharrkan's  side  and  left  him  for  a  while,  but 
presently  came  back  clad  in  closely-meshed  coat  of  ring-mail  and 
holding  in  her  hand  a  fine  Indian  scymitar.  And  she  said,  "  Now 
by  the  truth  of  the  Messiah,  I  will  not  be  a  niggard  of  myself  for 
my  guest ;  nor  will  I  abandon  him  though  for  this  I  abide  a 
reproach  and  a  by-word  in  the  land  of  the  Greeks."  Then  she 
took  reckoning  of  the  dead  and  found  that  he  had  slain  fourscore 
of  the  Knights,  and  other  twenty  had  taken  to  flight.  2  When  she 
i  — _«-____________^ 

1  Arab.  "Birds."     Easterns  do  not  thresh  with  flails.    The  material  is  strewed  over 
a  round  and  smoothed  floor  of  dried  mud  in  the  open  air  and  threshed  by  different  con- 
trivances.    In  Egypt  the  favourite  is  a  chair-like  machine  called  "  Norag,"  running  on 
iron  plates  and  drawn  by  bulls  or  cows  over  the  corn.     Generally,  however,  Moslems 
prefer  the  old  classical  Tpi°oXov,  the  Tribulum  of  Virgil  and  Varro,  a  slipper-shaped 
sled  of  wood  garnished  on  the  sole  with  large-headed  iron  nails,  or  sharp  fragments  of 
flint  or  basalt.     Thus  is  made  the  "  Tibn  "  or  straw,  the  universal  hay  of  the  East,  which 
our  machines  cannot  imitate. 

2  These  numbers  appear  to  be  grossly  exaggerated,  but  they  were  possible  in  the  days 
of  sword  and  armour :  at  the  battle  of  Saffayn  the  Caliph  Ali  is  said  to  have  cut  down 
five  hundred  and  Iwentythree  men  in  a  single  night. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.        109 

saw  what  work  he  had  made  with  them  she  said  to  him,  "  Allah 
bless  thee,  O  Sharrkan  !  The  Cavaliers  may  well  glory  in  the  like 
of  thee.''  Thea  he  rose  and  wiping  his  blade  clean  of  the  blood 
of  the  slain  began  reciting  these  couplets  : — 

How  oft  in  the  mellay  I've  cleft  the  array,  P  And  given  their  bravest  to  lions 

a  prey : 
Ask  of  me  and  of  them  when  I  proved  me  prow  o  O'er  creation,  on  days  of 

the  foray  and  fray  : 
When  I  left  in  the  onslaught  their  lions  to  lie   o  On  the  sands  of  the  low- 

lands  l  in  fieriest  day. 

When  he  ended  his  verse,  the  Princess  came  up  to  him  with 
smiles  and  kissed  his  hand  ;  then  she  doffed  her  hauberk  and 
he  said  to  her,  "  O  lady  mine,  wherefore  didst  thou  don  that 
coat  of  mail  and  bare  thy  brand?"  "To  guard  thee  against 
these  caitiffs,"2  she  replied.  Then  she  summoned  the  gate- 
keepers and  asked  them,  "  How  came  ye  to  admit  the  King's 
Knights  into  my  dwelling  without  leave  of  me  ? " ;  and  they  an- 
swered, "  O  Princess,  it  is  not  our  custom  to  ask  leave  of  thee 
for  the  King's  messengers,  and  especially  for  the  chief  of  his 
Knights."  Quoth  she,  "  I  think  ye  were  minded  only  to  dis- 
grace me  and  murder  my  guest ; "  and  bade  Sharrkan  smite 
their  necks.  He  did  so  and  she  cried  to  the  rest  of  her  ser- 
vants, "  Of  a  truth,  they  deserved  even  more  than  that !  "  Then 
turning  to  Sharrkan,  she  said  to  him,  "  Now  that  there  hath 
become  manifest  to  thee  what  was  concealed,  thou  shalt  be 
made  acquainted  with  my  history.  Know,  then,  that  I  am  the 
daughter  of  King  Hardub  of  Roum  ;  my  name  is  Abrizah  and 
the  ancient  dame,  yclept  Zat  al-Dawahi,  is  my  grandmother  by 
the  sword  side.  She  it  certainly  is  who  told  my  father  of  thee, 
and  as  surely  she  will  compass  a  sleight  to  slay  me,  more  by 
token  as  thou  hast  slain  my  father's  chivalry  and  it  is  noised 
abroad  that  I  have  separated  myself  from  the  Nazarenes  and 
have  become  no  better  than  I  should  be  with  the  Moslems. 
Wherefore  it  were  wiser  that  I  leave  this  dwelling  while  Zat  al- 
Dawahi  is  on  my  track  ;  but  I  require  of  thee  the  like  kindness 
and  courtesy  I  have  shown  thee,  for  enmity  will  presently  befal 


*  Arab.  "  Bikd'a  "  :  hence  the  "  Buka'ah  "  or  Coelesyria. 

"*  Richardson  in  his  excellent  dictionary  (note  103)  which  modern  priggism  find* 
"unscientific,"  wonderfully  derives  this  word  from  Arab.  "  Khattaf,"  a  matcher  (•".*.  of 
women),  a  ravisher.  It  is  an  evident  corruption  of  "captivus"  through  Italian  and 
French. 


HO  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

between  me  and  my  father  on  thine  account  So  do  not  thou 
neglect  to  do  aught  that  I  shall  say  to  thee,  remembering  all 
this  betided  me  not  save  by  reason  of  thee."  Hearing  her 
words,  Sharrkan  joyed  greatly;  his  breast  broadened  and  his 
wits  flew  from  him  for  delight,  and  he  said,  "  By  Allah,  none 
shall  come  at  thee,  while  life  is  in  my  bosom  !  But  hast  thou 
patience  lo  bear  parting  from  thy  parents  and  thy  people  ?  " 
"  Even  so,'1  she  answered  ;  and  Sharrkan  swore  to  her  and  the 
two  plighted  their  troth.  Then  said  she,  "Now  is  my  heart  at 
ease ;  but  there  remaineth  one  other  condition  for  thee,"  "  What 
is  it  ? "  asked  he  and  she  answered,  "  It  is  that  thou  return  with 
thy  host  to  thine  own  country."  Quoth  he,  "  O  lady  mine,  my 
father,  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  sent  me  to  wage  war  upon  thy 
sire,  on  account  of  the  treasure  he  plundered  from  the  King  of 
Constantinople,  and  amongst  the  rest  three  great  jewels,  noted 
givers  of  good  fortune."  Quoth  she,  "  Cheer  thy  heart  and  clear 
thine  eyes :  I  will  tell  thee  the  whole  of  the  tale  and  the  cause  of 
our  feud  with  the  King  of  Constantinople.  Know  that  we  have  a 
yearly  festival,  hight  the  Convent-Feast,  whereat  Kings  from  all 
quarters  and  the  noblest  women  are  wont  to  congregate ;  thither 
also  come  merchants  and  traders  with  their  wives  and  families,  and 
the  visitors  abide  there  seven  days.  I  was  wont  to  be  one  of 
them  ;  but,  when  there  befel  enmity  between  us,  my  father  forbade 
me  to  be  present  at  the  festival  for  the  space  of  seven  years.  One 
year,  it  chanced  that  amongst  the  daughters  of  the  great  who 
resorted  to  the  patron,  as  was  their  custom,  came  a  daughter  of 
the  King  of  Constantinople,  a  beautiful  girl  called  Sophia.  They 
tarried  at  the  monastery  six  days  and  on  the  seventh  the  folk 
went  their  ways  j1  but  Sophia  said,  I  will  not  return  to  Constan- 
tinople save  by  water.  So  they  equipped  for  her  a  ship  in  which 
she  embarked  with  her  suite;  and  making  sail  they  put  out  to 
sea;  but  as  they  were,  voyaging  behold,  a  contrary  wind  caught 
them  and  drove  the  vessel  from  her  course  till,  as  Fate  and 
Fortune  would  have  it,  she  fell  in  with  a  Nazarene  craft  from  the 
Camphor  Island2  carrying  a  crew  of  five  hundred  armed  Franks, 
who  had  been  cruising  about  a  long  time.  When  they  sighted  the 
sails  of  the  ship,  wherein  Sophia  and  her  women  were,  they  gave 

1  These  periodical  and  fair-like  visitations  to  convents  are  still  customary  ;  especially 
amongst  the  Christians  of  Damascus. 

2  Camphor  being  then  unknown. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.        Ill 

chase  in  all  haste  and  in  less  than  an  hour  they  came  up  with  her, 
when  they  laid  the  grappling-irons  aboard  her  and  captured  her. 
Then  taking  her  in  tow  they  made  all  sail  for  their  own  island 
and  were  but  a  little  distant  from  it  when  the  wind  veered  round 
and,  splitting  their  sails,  drove  them  on  to  a  shoal  which  lies  off 
our  coast.  Thereupon  we  sallied  forth  and,  looking  on  them  as 
spoil  driven  to  us  by  Fate,1  boarded  and  took  them  ;  and,  slaying 
the  men,  made  prize  of  the  wreck,  wherein  we  found  the  treasures 
and  rarities  in  question  and  forty  maidens,  amongst  whom  was 
the  King's  daughter,  Sophia.  After  the  capture  we  carried  the 
Princess  and  her  women  to  my  father,  not  knowing  her  to  be  a 
daughter  of  King  Afridun  of  Constantinople ;  and  he  chose  out 
for  himself  ten  including  her ;  and  divided  the  rest  among  his 
dependants.  Presently  he  set  apart  five  damsels,  amongst  whom 
was  the  King's  daughter,  and  sent  them  to  thy  father,  King  Omar 
bin  al-Nu'uman,  together  with  other  gifts,  such  as  broadcloth2  and 
woollen  stuffs  and  Grecian  silks.  Thy  father  accepted  them  and 
chose  out  from  amongst  the  five  girls  Sophia,  daughter  of  King 
Afridun  ;  nor  did  we  hear  more  of  her  till  the  beginning  of  this 
year,  when  her  father  wrote  to  my  father  in  words  unfitting  for 
me  to  repeat,  rebuking  him  with  menaces  and  saying  to  him : — 
Two  years  ago,  you  plundered  a  ship  of  ours  which  had  been  seized 
by  a  band  of  Prankish  pirates  in  which  was  my  daughter  Sophia, 
attended  by  her  maidens  numbering  some  threescore.  Yet  ye 
informed  me  not  thereof  by  messenger  or  otherwise ;  nor  could 
I  make  the  matter  public,  lest  reproach  befal  me  amongst  the 
Kings,  by  reason  of  my  daughter's  honour.  So  I  concealed  my 
case  till  this  year,  when  I  wrote  to  certain  Prankish  corsairs  and 
sought  news  of  my  daughter  from  the  Kings  of  the  Isles.  They 
replied  :— By  Allah  we  carried  her  not  forth  of  thy  realm  ;  but  we 
have  heard  that  King  Hardub  rescued  her  from  certain  pirates. 
And  they  told  me  the  whole  tale.  Then  he  added  in  the  writing 
which  he  writ  to  my  father  : — Except  you  wish  to  be  at  feud  with 
me  and  design  to  disgrace  me  and  dishonour  my  daughter,  you 
will,  the  instant  my  letter  reachcth  you,  send  my  daughter  back 
to  me.  But  if  you  slight  my  letter  and  disobey  my  commandment, 


1  The  "wrecker"  is  known  all  over  the  world;    and  not  only  barbarians  hold  that 
ships  driven  ashore  become  the  property  of  the  shore. 

2  Arab.  "  Jokh":  it  is  not  a  dictionary  word,  but  the  only  term  in  popular  use  for 
Emopean  broadcloth. 


112      '   _  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

I  will  assuredly  make  you  full  return  for  your  foul  dealing  and 
the  baseness  of  your  practices.1  When  tny  father  read  this  letter 
and  understood  the  contents,2  it  vexed  him  and  he  regretted  not 
having  known  that  Sophia,  King  Afridun's  daughter,  was  among 
the  captured  damsels,  that  he  might  have  sent  her  back  to  her 
sire  ;  and  he  was  perplexed  about  the  case  because,  after  so  long 
a  time,  he  could  not  send  to  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and 
demand  her  back  from  him,  especially  as  he  had  lately  heard  that 
Heaven  had  granted  him  boon  of  babe  by  this  Sophia.  So  when 
we  pondered  that  truth,  we  knew  that  this  letter  was  none  other 
than  a  grievous  calamity ;  and  my  father  found  nothing  for  it  but 
to  write  an  answer  to  King  Afridun,  making  his  excuses  and 
swearing  to  him  by  strong  oaths  that  he  knew  not  his  daughter 
to  be  among  the  bevy  of  damsels  in  the  ship  and  setting  forth 
how  he  had  sent  her  to  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  who  had 
gotten  the  blessing  of  issue  by  her.  When  my  father's  reply 
reached  King  Afridun  he  rose  up  and  sat  down,3  and  roared  and 
foamed  at  the  mouth  crying :  —What !  shall  he  take  captive  my 
daughter  and  even  her  with  slave-girls  and  pass  her  on  from  hand 
to  hand  sending  her  for  a  gift  to  Kings,  and  they  lie  with  her 
without  marriage-contract  ?  By  the  Messiah  and  the  true  Faith, 
said  he,  I  will  not  desist  till  I  have  taken  my  blood-vengeance  for 
this  and  have  wiped  out  my  shame ;  and  indeed  I  will  do  a  deed 
which  the  chroniclers  shall  chronicle  after  me  !  So  he  bided  his 
time  till  he  devised  a  device  and  laid  notable  toils  and  snares, 
when  he  sent  an  embassy  to  thy  father,  King  Omar,  to  tell  him 
that  which  thou  hast  heard  :  accordingly  thy  father  equipped  thee 
and  an  army  with  thee  and  sent  thee  to  King  Afridun,  whose 
object  is  to  seize  thee  and  thine  army  to  boot.  As  for  the  three 
jewels  whereof  he  told  thy  father  when  asking  his  aid,  there  was 
not  one  soothfast  word  in  that  matter,  for  they  were  with  Sophia, 
his  daughter;  and  my  father  took  them  from  her,  when  he  got 
possession  of  her  and  of  her  maidens,  and  gave  them  to  me  in  free 
gift,  and  they  are  now  with  me.  So  go  thou  to  thy  host  and  turn 
them  back  ere  they  be  led  deep  into,  and  shut  in  by,  the  land  of 

1  The  second  person  plural  is  used  because  the  writer  would  involve  the  subjects  of 
his  correspondent  in  the  matter. 

2  This  part  of  the  phrase,  which  may  seem  unnecessary  to  the  European,  is  perfectly 
intelligible  to  all  Orientalists.     You  may  read  many  an  Eastern  letter  and  not  under* 
stand  it.    Compare  Boccaccio  iv.  I. 

*  i.*.,  he  was  greatly  agitated. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-N unman  and  his  Sons.        113 

the  Franks  and  the  country  of  the  Greeks ;  for  as  soon  as  you 
have  come  far  enough  into  their  interior,  they  will  stop  the  roads 
upon  you  and  there  will  be  no  escape  for  you  till  the  Day  of 
retribution  and  retaliation.  I  know  that  thy  troops  are  still 
halting  where  thou  leftest  them,  because  thou  didst  order  a  three 
days'  rest ;  withal  they  have  missed  thee  all  this  time  and  they 
wot  not  what  to  do."  When  Sharrkan  heard  her  words,  he  was 
absent  awhile  in  thought ;  then  he  kissed  Princess  Abrizah's  hand 
and  said,  "  Praise  be  to  Allah  who  hath  bestowed  thee  on  me  and 
appointed  thee  to  be  the  cause  of  my  salvation  and  the  salvation 
of  whoso  is  with  me !  But  'tis  grievous  to  me  to  part  from  thee 
and  I  know  not  what  will  become  of  thee  after  my  departure." 
"  Go  now  to  thine  army,"  she  replied,  "  and  turn  them  back,  while 
ye  are  yet  near  your  own  country.  If  the  envoys  be  still  with 
them,  lay  hands  on  them  and  keep  them,  that  the  case  may  be 
made  manifest  to  you ;  and,  after  three  days,  I  will  be  with  you 
all  and  we  will  enter  Baghdad  together."  As  he  turned  to  depart 
she  said/'  Forget  not  the  compact  which  is  between  me  and  thee  ;" 
then  she  rose  to  bid '  him  farewell  and  embrace  him  and  quench 
the  fire  of  desire,  so  she  took  leave  of  him  and,  throwing  her  arms 
round  his  neck,  wept  with,  exceed  ing  weeping,  and  repeated  these 
verses : — 

I  bade  adieu,  my  right  hand  wiped  my  tears  away,  o  The  while  my  left  hand 

held  her  in  a  close  embrace  : 
"Fearest  thou  naught/'  quoth  she,  "of  shame?"   I  answered  "Nay,  o  The 

lover's  parting  day  is  lover's  worst  disgrace." 

Then  Sharrkan  left  her  and  walked  down  from  the  convent.  They 
brought  his  steed,  so  he  mounted  and  rode  down-stream  to  the 
drawbridge  which  he  crossed  and  presently  threaded  the  woodland 
paths  and  passed  into  the  open  meadow.  As  soon  as  he  was  clear 
of  the  trees  he  was  aware  of  horsemen  which  made  him  stand  on 
the  alert,  and  he  bared  his  brand  and  rode  cautiously ;  but  as  they 
drew  near  and  exchanged  curious  looks  he  recognized  them  and 
behold,  it  was  the  Wazir  Dandan  and  two  of  his  Emirs.  When 
they  saw  him  and  knew  him,  they  dismounted  and  saluting  him, 
asked  the  reason  of  his  absence ;  whereupon  he  told  them  all 
that  had  passed  between  him  and  Princess  Abrizah  from  first  to 

1  In  text  " Li-ajal  al-TaudCa"  for  the  purpose  of  farewelling,  a  low  Egyptianism  ; 
emphatically  a  "  Kalim  wati."     (Pilgrimage  iii.  330.) 

VOL.  IL  H, 


114  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

last.  The  Wazir  returned  thanks  to  Almighty  Allah  for  his  safety 
and  said,1  "  Let  us  at  once  leave  these  lands  ;  for  the  envoys  who 
came  with  us  are  gone  to  inform  the  King  of  our  approach,  and 
haply  he  will  hasten  to  fall  on  us  and  take  us  prisoners."  So 
Sharrkan  cried  to  his  men  to  saddle  and  mount,  which  they 
did  and,  setting  out  at  once,  they  stinted  not  faring  till  they 
reached  the  sole  of  the  valley  wherein  the  host  lay.  The  Ambas- 
sadors meanwhile  had  reported  Sharrkan's  approach  to  their 
King,  who  forthright  equipped  a  host  to  lay  hold  of  him  and 
those  with  him.  But  Sharrkan,  escorted  by  the  Wazir  Dandan 
and  the  two  Emirs,  had  no  sooner  sighted  the  army,  than  he 
raised  the  cry  "  March !  March  !  "  They  took  horse  on  the  instant 
and  fared  through  the  first  day  and  second  and  third  day,  nor  did 
they  cease  faring  for  five  days ;  at  the  end  of  which  time  they 
alighted  in  a  well-wooded  valley,  where  they  rested  awhile.  Then 
they  again  set  out  and  stayed  not  riding  for  five  and  twenty  days 
which  placed  them  on  the  frontiers  of  their  own  country.  Here, 
deeming  themselves  safe,  they  halted  to  rest ;  and  the  country 
people  came  out  to  them  with  guest-gifts-  for  the  men  and  proven- 
der and  forage  for  the  beasts.  They  tarried  there  two  days  after 
-which,  as  all  would  be  making  for  their  homes,  Sharrkan  put  the 
Wazir  Dandan  in  command,  bidding  him  lead  the  host  back  to 
Baghdad,  But  he  himself  remained  behind  with  an  hundred 
riders,  till  the  rest  of  the  army  had  made  one  day's  march :  then 
he  called  "  To  horse ! "  and  mounted  with  his  hundred  men. 
They  rode  on  two  parasangs' 2  space  till  they  arrived  at  a  gorge 
between  two  mountains  and  lo !  there  arose  before  them  a  dark 
cloud  of  sand  and  dust.  So  they  checked  their  steeds  awhile  till 
the  dust  opened  and  lifted,  discovering  beneath  it  an  hundred 
cavaliers,  lion-faced  and  in  mail-coats  cased.  As  soon  as  they 
drew  within  earshot  of  Sharrkan  and  his  meiny  they  cried  out  to 
them,  saying,  "  By  the  virtue  of  John  and  Mary,  we  have  won  to 


1  In  the  Mac.  Edit.  Sharrkan  speaks,  a  clerical  error. 

3  The  Farsakh  (Germ.  Stunde)  a  measure  of  time  rather  than  distance,  is  an  hour's 
travel  or  its  equivalent,  a  league,  a  meile  =  three  English  stat.  miles.  The  word  is  still 
used  in  Persia  its  true  home,  but  not  elsewhere.  It  is  very  old,  having  been  determined 
as  a  lineal  measure  of  distance  by  Herodotus  (ii.  5  and  6  ;  v.  53),  who  computes  it  at 
30  furlongs  (  =  furrow-lengths,  8  to  the  stat.  mile).  Strabo  (xi.)  makes  it  range  from 
40  to  60  stades  (each  =:  606  feet  9  inches) ;  and  even  now  it  varies  'Between  1 500  to 
6,000  yards.  Captain  Francklin  (Tour  to  Persia)  estimates  it  =  about  four  miles.  (Pil- 
grimage ii.  113.) 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.        1 1 5 

our  wish  !  We  have  been  following  you  by  forced  marches,  night 
and  day,  till  we  forewent  you  to  this  place.  So  dismount  and  lay 
down  your  arms  and  yield  yourselves,  that  we  may  grant  you  your 
lives."  When  Sharrkan  heard  this,  his  eyes  stood  out  from  his 
head  and  his  cheeks  flushed  red  and  he  said  '  How  is  it,  O 
Nazarene  dogs,  ye  dare  enter  our  country  and  overmarch  our 
land  ?  And  doth  not  this  suffice  you,  butye  must  adve  nture  your 
selves  and  address  us  in  such  unseemly  speech  ?  Do  you  think  to 
escape  out  of  our  hands  and  return  to  your  country  ? "  Then  he 
shouted  to  his  hundred  horsemen,  "  Up  and  at  these  hounds,  for 
they  even  you  in  number ! "  So  saying,  he  bared  his  sabre  and 
bore  down  on  them,  he  and  his,  but  the  Franks  met  them  with 
hearts  firmer  than  rocks,  and  wight  clashed  against  wight,  and 
knight  dashed  upon  knight,  and  hot  waxed  the  fight,  and  sore  was 
the  affright,  and  nor  parley  nor  cries  of  quarter  helped  their  plight ; 
and  they  stinted  not  to  charge  and  to  smite,  right  hand  meeting 
right,  nor  to  hack  and  hew  with  blades  bright-white,  till  day  turned 
to  night  and  gloom  oppressed  the  sight.  Then  they  drew  apart 
and  Sharrkan  mustered  his  men  and  found  none  wounded  save 
four  only,  who  showed  hurts  but  not  death-hurts.  Said  he  to 
them,  "  By  Allah,  iny  life  long  have  I  waded  in  the  clashing  sea 
of  fight  and  I  have  met  many  a  gallant  sprite,  but  none  so  un- 
frightened  of  the  sword  that  smites  and  the  shock  of  men  that 
affrights  like  these  valiant  Knights!"  "Know,  O  King,'1  said 
they,  "  that  there  is  among  them  a  Prankish  cavalier  who  is  their 
leader  and,  indeed,  he  is  a  man  of  valour  and  fatal  is  his  spear- 
thrust  :  but,  by  Allah,  he  spares  us  great  and  small ;  for  whoso 
falls  into  his  hands  he  lets  him  go  and  forbears  to  slay  him. 
By  Allah,  had  he  willed  he  had  killed  us  all."  Sharrkan  was 
astounded  when  he  heard  what  the  Knight  had  done  and  such 
high  report  of  him,  so  he  said,  "  When  the  morn  shall  morrow,  we 
will  draw  out  and  defy  them,  for  we  are  an  hundred  to  their 
hundred  ;  and  we  will  seek  aid  against  them  from  the  Lord  of 
the  Heavens."  So  they  rested  that  night  in  such  intent ;  whilst 
the  Franks  gathered  round  their  Captain  and  said,  "Verily  this 
day  we  did  not  win  our  will  of  these;"  and  he  replied,  "At 
early  dawn  when  the  morrow  shall  morn,  we  will  draw  out 
and  challenge  them,  one  after  one."  They  also  rested  in  that 
mind,  and  both  camps  kept  guard  until  Almighty  Allah  sent 
the  light  of  day-dawn.  Thereupon  King  Sharrkan  and  his  hun- 
dred riders  took  horse  and  rode  forth  to  the  plain,  where  they 


n  6  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

found  the  Franks  ranged  in  line  of  battle ;  and  Sharrkan  said  to 
his  followers,  u  Our  foes  have  determined  like  ourselves  to  do  their 
devoir  ;  so  up  and  at  them  and  lay  on  load."  Then  came  forth 
an  Herald  of  the  Franks  and  cried  out,  saying,  "  Let  there  be  no 
general  engagement  betwixt  us  this  day,  save  by  the  duello,  a 
champion  of  yours  against  a  champion  of  ours."  Whereupon  one 
of  Sharrkan's  riders  dashed  out  from  the  ranks  anddrave  between 
the  two  lines  crying,  "Ho!  who  is  for  smiting?  Let  no  dastard 
engage  me  this  day  nor  nidering !"  Hardly  had  he  made  an  end  of 
his  vaunt,  when  there  sallied  forth  to  him  a  Prankish  cavalier,  armed 
cap-a-pie  and  clad  in  a  surcoat  of  gold  stuff,  riding  on  a  grey-white 
steed,1  and  he  had  no  hair  on  his  cheeks.  He  urged  his  charger  on 
to  the  midst  of  the  battle-plain  and  the  two  fell  to  derring-do  of  cut 
and  thrust,  but  it  was  not  long  before  the  Frank  foined  the  Moslem 
with  the  lance-point ;  and,  toppling  him  from  his  steed,  took  him 
prisoner  and  led  him  off  crestfallen.  His  folk  rejoiced  in  their 
comrade  and,  forbidding  him  to  go  out  again  to  the  field,  sent 
forth  another,  to  whom  sallied  out  another  Moslem,  brother  to  the 
captive,  and  offered  him  battle.  The  two  fell  to,  either  against 
other,  and  fought  for  a  little  while,  till  the  Frank  bore  down  upon 
the  Moslem  and,  falsing  him  with  a  feint,  tumbled  him  by  a  thrust 
of  the  lance-heel  from  his  destrier  and  took  him  prisoner.  After 
this  fashion  the  Moslems  ceased  not  dashing  forwards,  one  aftei 
one,  and  the  Franks  to  unhorse  them  and  take  them  captive,  till 
day  departed  and  the  night  with  darkness  upstarted.  Now  they 
had  captured  of  the  Moslems  twenty  cavaliers,  and  when  Sharrkan 
saw  this,  it  was  grievous  to  him  and  he  mustered  his  men  and 
said  to  them,  "What  is  this  thing  that  hath  befallen  us?  To- 
morrow, I  myself  will  go  forth  to  the  field  and  offer  singular 
combat  to  their  chief  and  learn  what  is  the  cause  of  his  entering 
our  land  and  warn  him  against  doing  battle  with  our  band.  If  he 
persist,  we^vill  punish  him  with  death,  and  if  he  prove  peaceable 
we  will  make  peace  with  him."  They  nighted  on  this  wise  till 
Allah  Almighty  caused  the  morn  to  dawn,  when  mounted  the 
twain  and  drew  up  for  battle  fain  ;  and  Sharrkan  was  going  forth 
to  the  plain,  but  behold,  more  than  one  half  of  the  Franks  dis- 
mounted and  remained  on  foot  before  one  of  them  who  was 
mounted,  till  they  reached  the  midst  of  the  battle-plain.  Sharr- 

1  Arab.  **  Ashhab."    Names  of  colours  are  few  amongst  semi-civilised  peoples,  but  in 
Arabia  there  is  a  distinct  word  for  every  shade  of  horseflesh. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.        117 

kan  looked  at  that  horseman  and  lo !  he  was  their  chief.  He  was 
clad  in  a  surcoat  of  blue  satin  and  a  close-ringed  mail  shirt ;  his 
face  was  as  the  moon  when  it  rises  and  no  hair  was  upon  his 
cheeks.  He  hent  in  hand  an  Indian  scymitar  and  he  rode  a  sable 
steed  with  a  white  "blaze  on  brow,  like  a  dirham ;  and  he  smote 
the  horse  with  heel  till  he  stood  almost  in  the  midst  of  the  field 
when,  signing  to  the  Moslems,  he  cried  out  in  fluent  Arab  speech, 
11  Ho,  Sharrkan  !  Ho,  son  of  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  !  Ho,  thou 
who  forcest  fortalice  and  overthrowest  cities  and  countries!  up 
and  out  to  battle-bout,  and  blade  single-handed  wield  with  one 
who  halves  with  thee  the  field !  Thou  art  Prince  of  thy  people 
and  I  am  Prince  of  mine ;  and  whoso  overcometh  his  adversary, 
him  let  the  other's  men  obey  and  come  under  his  sway."  Hardly 
had  he  ended  his  speech,  when  out  came  Sharrkan  with  a  heart 
full  of  fury,  and  urging  his  steed  into  the  midst  of  the  field, 
closed  like  a  raging  lion  with  the  Frank  who  encountered  him 
with  wariness  and  steadfastness  and  met  him  with  the  meeting  of 
warriors.  Then  they  fell  to  foining  and  hewing,  and  they  stinted 
not  of  onset  and  offset,  and  give  and  take,  as  they  were  two 
mountains  clashing  together  or  two  seas  together  dashing ;  nor 
did  they  cease  fighting  until  day  darkened  and  night  starkened. 
Then  they  drew  apart  and  each  returned  to  his  own  party ;  but  as 
soon  as  Sharrkan  foregathered  with  his  comrades,  he  said,  "  Never 
looked  I  on  the  like  of  this  cavalier :  he  hath  one  quality  I  have 
not  yet  seen  in  any  and  this  it  is  that,  when  his  foemen  un- 
covereth  a  place  for  the  death-blow,  he  reverseth  his  weapon  and 
smiteth  with  the  lance-heel !  In  very  deed  I  know  not  what  will 
be  the  issue  'twixt  him  and  me ;  but  'tis  my  wish  that  we  had  in 
our  host  his  like  and  the  like  of  his  men."  Then  he  went  to  his 
rest  for  the  night  and,  when  morning  dawned,  the  Frank  came 
forth  and  rode  down  to  the  mid-field,  where  Sharrkan  met  him ; 
and  they  fell  to  fighting  and  to  wheeling,  left  and  right ;  and 
necks  were  stretched  out  to  see  the  sight,  nor  did  they  stint  from 
strife  and  sword-play  and  lunge  of  lance  with  main  and  might, 
till  the  day  turned  to  night  and  darkness  overwhelmed  the  light 
Then  the  twain  drew  asunder  and  returned  each  to  his  own  camp, 
where  both  related  to  their  comrades  what  had  befallen  them  in  the 
duello  ;  and  at  last  the  Frank  said  to  his  men,  "  To-morrow  shall 
decide  the  matter!"  So  they  both  passed  that  night  restfully 
till  dawn ;  and,  as  soon  as  it  was  day,  they  mounted  and  each 
bore  down  on  other  and  ceased  not  to  fight  till  half  the  day  was 


Ii8  A  If  Lay  Ink  wa  Laylah. 

done.  Then  the  Frank  bethought  him  of  a  ruse ;  first  urging  his 
steed  with  heel  and  then  checking  him  with  the  rein,  so  that  he 
stumbled  and  fell  with  his  rider ;  thereupon  Sharrkan  threw  him- 
self on  the  foe,  and  would  have  smitten  him  with  the  sword 
fearing  lest  the  strife  be  prolonged,  when  the  Frank  cried  out  to 
him,  "  O  Sharrkan,  champions  are  not  wont  to  do  thus !  This  is 
the  act  of  a  man  accustomed  to  be  beaten  by  a  woman."1  When 
Sharrkan  heard  this,  he  raised  his  eyes  to  the  Frank's  face  and 
gazing  steadfastly  at  him,  recognized  in  him  Princess  Abrizah 
with  whom  that  pleasant  adventure  had  befallen  him  in  the  con- 
vent ;  whereupon  he  cast  brand  from  hand  and,  kissing  the  earth 
before  her,  asked  her,  "What  moved  thee  to  a  deed  like  this?''; 
and  she  answered,  "  I  desired  to  prove  thy  prowess  afield  and  test 
thy  doughtiness  in  tilting  and  jousting.  These  that  are  with  me 
are  my  handmaids,  and  they  are  all  clean  maids ;  yet  they  have 
vanquished  thy  horsemen  in  fair  press  and  stress  of  plain ;  and 
had  not  my  steed  stumbled  with  me,  thou  shouldst  have  seen  my 
might  and  prowess  in  combat."  Sharrkan  smiled  at  her  speech 
and  said,  "  Praise  be  to  Allah  for  safety  and  for  my  reunion  with 
thee,  O  Queen  of  the  age  \  Then  she  cried  out  to  her  damsels  to 
loose  the  twenty  captives  of  Sharrkan's  troop  and  dismount.  They 
did  as  she  bade  and  came  and  kissed  the  earth  before  her  and 
Sharrkan  who  said  to  them,  "  It  is  the  like  of  you  that  Kings  keep 
in  store  for  the  need-hour."  Then  he  signed  to  his  comrades  to 
salute  the  Princess ;  so  all  alighted  and  kissed  the  earth  before  her, 
for  they  knew  the  story.  After  this,  the  whole  two  hundred  took 
horse,  and  fared  on  night  and  day  for  six  days'  space,  till  they 
drew  near  to  Baghdad,  when  they  halted  and  Sharrkan  bade 
Abrizah  and  her  handmaids  doff  the  Prankish  garb  that  was  on 

them And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased 

saying  her  permitted  say. 


Koto  toften  it  tons  tfje  jfidg-first 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Sharrkan 
bade  Princess  Abrizah  and  her  damsels  doff  the  garb  that  was  on 
them  and  don  the  garments  of  daughters  of  Greece ;  and  thus  did 
they.  Then  he  despatched  a  company  of  his  companions  to  Bagh- 

>  She  had  already  said  to  him  "  Thou  art  beaten  in  everything  1" 


TaU  of  King  Omar  bin  at-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.        I IQ 

dad  to  acquaint  his  father  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  with  his  arrival 
and  report  that  he  was  accompanied  by  Princess  Abrizah,  daughter 
of  King  Hardub,  Lord  of  Graecia-land.  They  halted  forthright  in 
the  place  they  had  reached,  and  Sharrkan  also  halted  and  all  nighted 
there ;  and  when  Almighty  Allah  made  morning  dawn,  Sharrkan 
and  his  company  and  Abrizah  and  her  company  took  horse  and 
fared  on  towards  the  city  ;  when  lo !  on  the  way  they  met  the  Wazir 
Dandan,  who  had  come  out  amongst  a  thousand  horse,  to  honour 
Abrizah  and  Sharrkan,  by  especial  commandment  of  King  Omar 
Son  of  Al-Nu'uman.  When  the  two  drew  near,  they  turned  towards 
them  and  kissed  ground  before  them  ;  then  they  mounted  again  and 
escorted  them  into  the  city  and  went  up  with  them  to  the  palace. 
Sharrkan  walked  in  to  his  father,  who  rose  and  embraced  him  and 
questioned  him  of  his  case.  So  he  told  him  all  that  Abrizah  had 
told  him,  and  what  had  passed  between  them  and  said,  "  She  hath 
parted  from  her  sire  and  departed  from  her  reign  and  hath  chosen 
to  take  part  with  us  and  to  make  her  abode  with  us  ;  and  indeed  (he 
said  to  his  father)  the  King  of  Constantinople  hath  plotted  to  do  us 
a  mischief,  because  of  his  daughter  Sophia,  for  that  the  King  of 
Greece  had  made  known  to  him  her  story  and  the  cause  of  her 
being  given  to  thee  ;  and  he  (the  Grecian  King)  not  knowing  her  to 
be  daughter  of  King  Afridun,  Lord  of  Constantinople;  and,  had  he 
known  that,  he  would  not  have  bestowed  her  upon  thee,  but  he 
would  have  restored  her  to  her  parent.  And  of  a  verity  (he  con- 
tinued) we  were  saved  from  these  perils  only  by  the  Lady  Abrizah, 
and  never  saw  we  a  more  valiant  than  she."  And  he  went  on  to 
tell  his  father  all  that  had  passed  from  first  to  last  of  the  wrestling 
and  the  single-fighting.  When  King  Omar  heard  the  story  of 
Sharrkan,  Abrizah  was  exalted  in  his  eyes,  and  he  longed  to  see  her 
and  question  her.  Thereupon  Sharrkan  went  out  to  her  and  said, 
41  The  King  calleth  for  thee  ;"  she  replied,  "  I  hear  and  I  obey ;" 
and  he  took  her  and  brought  her  in  to  his  father,  who  was  seated 
on  his  throne  and  who,  having  dismissed  his  high  officers,  was 
attended  only  by  his  eunuchs.  The  Princess  entered  and  kissing 
the  ground  between  his  hands,  saluted  him  in  choice  terms.  He 
was  amazed  at  her  eloquent  speech  and  thanked  her  for  her  dealing 
with  his  son  Sharrkan  and  bade  her  be  seated.  So  she  sat  down 
and  unveiled  her  face;1  and,  when  the  King  saw  her  beauty,  his 
reason  fled  his  head  and  he  made  her  draw  near  and  showed  her 

1  Showing  that  she  was  still  a  Christian. 


120  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

favour,  appointing  her  an  especial  palace  for  herself  and  her  damsels, 
and  assigning  them  solde  and  allowances.  Then  began  he  to  ask 
her  of  the  three  jewels  aforesaid,  and  she  answered,  "  Here  be  they 
with  me,  O  King  of  the  age  ! "  So  saying,  she  rose  and  going  to 
her  lodging,  unpacked  her  baggage  and  from  it  brought  out  a  box 
and  from  the  box  a  casket  of  gold.  She  opened  the  casket  and 
taking  out  those  three  jewels,  kissed  them  and  gave  them  to  the 
King.  Then  she  went  away  bearing  his  heart  with  her.  After  her 
going  the  King  sent  for  his  son  Sharrkan  and  gave  him  one  jewel 
of  the  three,  and  when  he  enquired  of  the  other  two  replied, "  O  my 
son !  I  mean  to  give  one  to  thy  brother  Zau  al-Makan,  and  the 
other  to  thy  sister  Nuzhat  al-Zaman."  But  when  Sharrkan  heard 
that  he  had  a  brother  (for  to  that  time  he  knew  only  of  his  sister) 
he  turned  to  his  sire  and  said  to  him,  "  O  King,  hast  thou  a  son 
other  than  myself? "  He  answered,  "  Yes,  and  he  is  now  six  years 
old ;"  adding  that  his  name  was  Zau  al-Makan  and  that  he  and 
;Nuzhat  al-Zaman  were  twins,  born  at  a  birth.  This  news  was 
grievous  to  Sharrkan,  but  he  kept  his  secret  and  said,  "The  bless- 
ing of  Allah  Most  High  be  upon  them!";  and  he  cast  the  jewel 
from  his  hand  and  shook  the  dust  off  his  clothes.  Quoth  the  King, 
*'  How  do  I  see  thee  change  thy  manner  when  hearing  of  this,  con- 
sidering that  after  me  thou  becomest  heir  of  the  kingdom.  Of  a 
truth  the  troops  have  sworn  to  thee  and  the  Emirs  and  Grandees 
have  taken  the  oath  of  succession  to  thee  ;  and  this  one  of  the  three 
jewels  is  thine."  Sharrkan  bowed  his  head  to  the  ground  and  was 
ashamed  to  bandy  words  with  his  parent  so  he  accepted  the  jewel 
and  went  away,  knowing  not  what  to  do  for  exceeding  wrath,  and 
stayed  not  walking  till  he  had  entered  Abrizah's  palace.  As  he 
approached  she  stood  up  to  meet  him  and  thanked  him  for  what  he 
had  done  and  prayed  for  blessings  on  him  and  his  sire.  Then  she 
sat  down  and  seated  him  by  her  sicle  ;  but  when  he  had  taken  his 
place  she  saw  rage  in  his  face  and  questioned  him,  whereupon  he 
told  her  that  Allah  had  blessed  his  father  with  two  children  by 
Sophia,  a  boy  and  a  girl,  and  that  he  had  named  the  boy  Zau  al- 
Makan  and  the  girl  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  ;  adding,  "  He  hath  kept  the 
other  two  jewels  for  them  and  hath  given  me  one  of  thine,  so  I  left 
it  behind ;  I  knew  naught  of  Zau  al-Makan's  birth  till  this  day,  and 
the  twain  are  now  six  years  old.  So  when  I  learnt  this,  wrath 
possessed  me  ;  and  I  tell  thee  the  reason  of  my  rage  and  hide  nothing 
from  thee.  But  now  I  fear  lest  my  father  take  thee  to  wife,  for  he 
loveth  thee  and  I  saw  in  him  signs  of  desire  for  thee  :  so  what  wilt 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.        121 

thou  say,  if  he  wish  this  ?"  Quoth  she,  "  Know,  O  Sharrkan,  that 
thy  father  hath  no  dominion  over  me,  nor  can  he  have  me  without 
my  consent ;  and  if  he  prevail  over  me  by  force,  I  will  take 
my  own  life.  As  for  the  three  jewels,  it  was  not  my  intent 
that  he  should  give  any  of  them  to  either  of  his  children  and  I 
had  no  thought  but  that  he  would  lay  them  up  in  his  treasury 
with  his  things  of  price  ;  but  now  I  desire  of  thy  favour  that  thou 
make  me  a  present  of  the  jewel  which  he  gave  thee,  if  thou  have 
accepted  it."  "  Hearkening  and  obedience,"  replied  Sharrkan,  and 
gave  it  to  her.  Then  said  she,  "  Fear  nothing,"  and  talked  with 
him  awhile  and  continued,  "  I  fear  lest  my  father  hear  that  I  am 
with  you  and  sit  not  patiently  under  my  loss,  but  do  his  endeavours 
to  find  me  ;  and  to  that  end  he  may  ally  himself  with  King 
Afridun,  on  account  of  his  daughter  Sophia,  and  both  come  on 
thee  with  armies  and  so  there  befal  great  turmoil."  When  Sharrkan 
heard  these  words,  he  said  to  her,  "  O  my  lady,  if  it  please  thee  to 
sojourn  with  us,  take  no  thought  of  them ;  though  there  gather 
together  against  us  all  that  be  on  land  and  on  sea."  "  Tis  well," 
rejoined  she ;  "  if  ye  entreat  me  fair,  I  will  tarry  with  you,  and  if 
ye  deal  evilly  by  me,  I  will  depart  from  you."  Then  she  bade  her 
slave-maidens  bring  food  ;  so  they  set  the  tables,  and  Sharrkan 
ate  a  little  and  went  away  to  his  own  house,  disturbed  and  per« 
turbed.  Such  was  his  case ;  but  regarding  the  affairs  of  his  father, 
Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  after  dismissing  his  son  Sharrkan  he  arose 
and,  taking  the  other  two  jewels,  betook  himself  to  the  Lady 
Sophia,  who  stood  up  when  she  saw  him  and  remained  standing 
till  he  was  seated.  Presently,  his  two  children,  Zau  al-Makan  and 
Nuzhat  al-Zaman,  came  to  him  and  he  kissed  them  and  hung  a 
jewel  round  each  one's  neck,  at  which  they  rejoiced  and  kissed  his 
hands.  Then  went  they  to  their  mother,  who  joyed  in  their  joy 
and  wished  the  King  long  life ;  so  he  asked  her,  "  Why  hast  thou 
not  informed  me  all  this  time  that  thou  art  the  daughter  of  King 
Afridun,  Lord  of  Constantinople,  that  I  might  have  honoured  thee 
still  more  and  enlarged  thee  in  dignity  and  raised  thy  rank  ?"  "  O 
King,"  answered  Sophia,  "  and  what  could  I  desire  greater  or 
higher  than  this  my  standing  with  thee,  overwhelmed  as  I  am  with 
thy  favours  and  thy  benefits  ?  And,  furthermore,  Allah  hath  blessed 
me  with  two  children  by  thee,  a  son  and  a  daughter."  Her  reply 
pleased  the  King  and  after  leaving  her,  he  set  apart  for  her  and  her 
children  a  wondrous  fine  palace.  Moreover,  he  appointed  for 
them  eunuchs  and  attendants  and  doctors  of  law  and  doctors  of 


122  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

philosophy  and  astrologers  and  physicians  and  surgeons  to  do 
them  service ;  and  in  every  way  he  redoubled  his  favour  and 
entreated  them  with  the  best  of  treatment.  And  presently  he 
returned  to  the  palace  of  his  dominion  and  to  his  Court  where  he 
distributed  justice  among  the  lieges.  So  far  concerning  him  and 
Sophia  and  her  children  ;  but  in  the  matter  of  Abrizah  the  King 
was  greatly  occupied  with  love  of  her  and  burnt  with  desire  of  her 
night  and  day  ;  and  every  night,  he  would  go  in  to  her  and  con- 
verse with  her  and  pay  his  court  to  her,  but  she  gave  him  no 
answer,  only  saying,  "  O  King  of  the  age  !  I  have  no  desire  for 
men  at  this  present."  When  he  saw  her  withdraw  from  him,  his 
passion  waxed  hotter  and  his  longing  and  pining  increased  until, 
when  weary  of  this,  he  summoned  his  Wazir  Dandan  and,  opening 
his  very  heart  to  him,  told  him  of  his  love  for  Princess  Abrizah, 
daughter  of  Hardub,  and  informed  him  how  she  refused  to  yield 
to  his  wishes  and  how  desire  for  her  was  doing  him  to  die,  for  that 
he  could  get  no  grace  of  her.  The  Wazir,  hearing  these  words, 
said  to  the  King,  "  As  soon  as  it  is  dark  night,  take  thou  a  piece 
of  Bhang  the  measure  of  a  miskal,  about  an  ounce,  and  go  in  to 
her  and  drink  somewhat  of  wine  with  her.  When  the  hour 
of  ending  the  carousal  shall  draw  near,  fill  her  a  last  cup  and 
dropping  therein  the  Bhang,  give  it  to  her  to  drink,  and  she  will 
not  reach  her  sleeping-chamber  ere  the  drug  take  effect  on  her. 
Then  do  thou  go  in  to  her  and  take  thy  will  of  her ;  and  such  is 
my  advice."1  "  Thy  rede  is  aright,"  quoth  the  King,  and  seeking 
his  treasury,  he  took  thence  a  piece  of  concentrated  Bhang,  if  an 
elephant  smelt  it  he  would  sleep  from  year  to  year.  This  he  put 
in  his  bosom-pocket  and  waited  till  some  little  of  the  night  went 
by,  when  he  betook  himself  to  the  palace  of  Princess  Abrizah, 
who  seeing  him  stood  up  to  receive  him  ;  but  he  bade  her  sit  down. 
So  she  sat  down,  and  he  sat  by  her,  and  he  began  to  talk  with  her 
of  wine  and  wassail,  whereupon  she  furnished  the  carousing-table2 
and  placed  it  before  him.  Then  she  set  on  the  drinking  vessels  and 
lighted  the  candles  and  ordered  to  bring  dried  fruits  and  sweet- 
meats and  all  that  pertaineth  to  drinking.  So  they  fell  to  tippling 

1  This  is  not  Badawi  sentiment :  the  honoratioren  amongst  wild  people  would  scorn 
such  foul  play  j    but  amongst  the  settled  Arabs  honour  between  men  and  women  is 
unknown;  and  such  "  hocussing  "  would  be  held  quite  fair. 

2  The  table  of  wine,  in  our  day,  is  mostly  a  japanned  tray  with  glasses  and  bottles,, 
saucers  of  pickles  and  fruits  and,  perhaps,  a  bunch  of  flowers   and   aromatic   herbs. 
During  the  Caliphate  the  4<  wine-service  "  was  on  a  larger  scale. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu*uman  and  his  Sons.        123 

and  the  King  ceased  not  to  pledge  her  till  drunkenness  crept  into 
her  head  ;  and  seeing  this  he  took  out  the  bit  of  Bhang  from  his 
pocket  and,  holding  it  between  his  fingers,  filled  a  cup  with  his  own 
hand  and  drank  it  off".  Then  filling  a  second  he  said,  "  To  thy 
companionship  !  ";  and  dropped  the  drug  into  her  cup,  she  knowing 
naught  of  it.  She  took  it  and  drank  it  off ;  then  she  rose  and 
went  to  her  sleeping-chamber.  He  waited  for  less  than  an  hour 
till  he  was  assured  that  the  dose  had  taken  effect  on  her  and  had 
robbed  her  of  her  senses,  when  he  went  in  to  her  and  found  her 
thrown  on  her  back:  and  she  had  doffed  her  petticoat  trousers 
and  the  air  raised  the  skirt  of  her  shift  and  discovered  what  was 
between  her  thighs  •  When  the  King  saw  the  state  of  things  and 
found  a  lighted  candle  at  her  head  and  another  at  her  feet,  shining 
upon  what  her  thighs  enshrined  he  took  leave  of  his  five  senses  for 
lust  and  Satan  seduced  him  and  he  could  not  master  himself,  but 
put  off"  his  trousers  and  fell  upon  her  and  abated  her  maiden- 
head. Then  he  rose  off"  her  and  went  to  one  of  her  women,  by 
name  Marjanah,  and  said,  "  Go  in  to  thy  lady  and  speak  with  her." 
So  she  went  in  to  her  mistress  and  found  her  lying  on  her  back 
insensible,  with  the  blood  running  down  to  the  calves  of  her  legs, 
whereupon  she  took  a  kerchief  and  wiped  away  the  blood  and  lay 
by  her  that  night.  As  soon  as  Almighty  Allah  brought  the  dawn, 
the  handmaid  Marjanah  washed  her  mistress's  hands  and  feet  and 
brought  rose-water  and  bathed  her  face  and  mouth  with  it,  where- 
upon she  sneezed  and  yawned  and  cast  up  from  her  inside  that  bit 
of  Bhang  like  a  bolus.1  Then  she  revived  and  washed  her  hands 
and  mouth  and  said  to  Marjanah,  "  Tell  me  what  hath  befallen 
me."  So  she  told  her  what  had  passed  and  how  she  had  found 
her,  lying  on  her  back,  with  the  blood  running  down,  wherefore  she 
knew  that  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  had  lain  with  her  and  had 
undone  her  and  taken  his  will  of  her.  At  this  she  grieved  with 
exceeding  grief  and  retired  into  privacy,  saying  to  her  damsels, 
"  Deny  me  to  whoso  would  come  in  to  me  and  say  to  him  that  I 
am  ill,  till  I  see  what  Allah  will  do  with  me."  Presently  the  news 
of  her  sickness  came  to  the  King ;  so  he  sent  her  sherbets  and 


1  Here  the  "Bhang"  (almost  a  generic  term  applied  to  hellebore,  etc.)  may  be 
hyoscyamus  or  henbane.  Yet  there  are  varieties  of  Cannabis,  such  as  the  Dakha  of 
South  Africa,  capable  of  most  violent  effect.  I  found  the  use  of  the  drug  well  known 
to  the  negroes  of  the  Southern  United  States  and  of  the  Brazil,  although  few  of  their 
owners  had  ever  heard  of  it. 


1 24  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

sugar  electuaries.  Some  months  she  thus  passed  in  solitude,  during 
which  time  the  King's  flame  cooled  and  his  desire  for  her  was 
quenched,  so  that  he  abstained  from  her.  Now  she  had  con- 
ceived by  him,  and  when  the  months  of  child-breeding  had 
gone  by,  her  pregnancy  appeared  and  her  belly  swelled,  and  the 
world  was  straitened  upon  her,  so  she  said  to  her  handmaid 
Marjanah,  "  Know  that  it  is  not  the  folk  who  have  wronged  me, 
but  I  who  sinned  against  my  own  self1  in  that  I  left  my  father  and 
mother  and  country.  Indeed,  I  abhor  life,  for  my  spirit  is  broken 
and  neither  courage  nor  strength  is  left  me.  I  used,  when  I 
mounted  my  steed,  to  have  the  mastery  of  him,  but  now  I  am 
unable  to  ride.  If  I  be  brought  to  bed  among  them  I  shall  be 
dishonoured  before  my  hand-women  and  every  one  in  the  palace 
will  know  that  he  hath  taken  my  maidenhead  in  the  way  of 
shame ;  and  if  I  return  to  my  father,  with  what  face  shall  I  meet 
him  or  with  what  face  shall  I  have  recourse  to  him  ?  How  well 
quoth  the  poet : — 

Say,  what  shall  solace  one  who  hath  nor  home  nor  stable  stead  o    Nor  cup- 
companion,  nor  a  cup,  nor  place  to  house  his  head  ? 

Marjanah  answered  her,  "  It  is  thine  to  command  ;  I  will  obey ;  "• 
and  Abrizah  said,  "  I  desire  at  once  to  leave  this  place  secretly,  so 
that  none  shall  know  of  me  but  thou  ;  and  return  to  my  father  and 
my  mother,  for  when  flesh  stinketh,  there  is  naught  for  it  but 
its  own  folk  and  Allah  shall  do  with  me  e'en  as  He  will."  "  O 
Princess,"  Marjanah  replied,  "  what  thou  wouldest  dd  is  well." 
Then  she  made  matters  ready  and  kept  her  secret  and  waited  for 
some  days  till  the  King  went  out  to  chase  and  hunt,  and  his 
son  Sharrkan  betook  himself  to  certain  of  the  fortresses  to  sojourn 
there  awhile.  Then  said  she  to  Marjanah,  "  I  wish  to  set  out  this 
night,  but  how  shall  I  do  against  my  destiny  ?  For  already  I 
feel  the  pangs  of  labour  and  child-birth,  and  if  I  abide  other  four 
or  five  days,  I  shall  be  brought  to  bed  here,  and  I  shall  be  unable 
to  travel  to  my  country.  But  this  is  what  was  written  on  my 
forehead."  Then  she  considered  awhile,  and  said  to  Marjanah, 
"  Look  us  out  a  man  who  will  go  with  us  and  serve  us  by  the 
way,  for  I  have  no  strength  to  bear  arms."  '"  By  Allah,  O  my 
lady,"  replied  Marjanah,  "I  know  none  but  a  black  slave  called 


1     *  Amongst  Moslems  this  is  a  reference  to  Adam  who  first  "  sinned  against  himself,'* 
and  who  therefore  is  called  "  Safiyu'llah,"  the  Pure  of  Allah  (Pilgrimage  iii.  333). 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.        125 

Al-Ghazban,1  who  is  one  of  the  slaves  of  King  Omar  bin  al- 
Nu'uman  ;  he  is  a  valiant  wight,  and  he  keepeth  guard  at  our 
palace  gate.  The  King  appointed  him  to  attend  us,  and  indeed 
we  have  overwhelmed  him  with  our  favours  ;  so,  lookye,  I  will 
go  out  and  speak  with  him  of  this  matter,  and  promise  him  some 
monies  and  tell  him  that,  if  he  have  a  mind  to  tarry  with  us,  I  will 
marry  him  to  whom  he  will.  He  told  me  before  to-day  that  he 
had  been  a  highwayman  ;  so  if  he  consent  to  us  we  shall  wire 
our  wish  and  reach  to  our  own  land."  She  rejoined,  *'  Call  him, 
that  I  may  talk  with  him  ;  "  whereupon  Marjanah  fared  forth  and 
said  to  the  slave,  "  O  Ghazban,  Allah  prosper  thee,  so  thou  fall  in 
with  what  my  lady  saith  to  thee  !  "  Then  she  took  him  by  the 
hand  and  brought  him  to  the  Princess,  whose  hands  he  kissed, 
but  as  she  beheld  him,  her  heart  took  fright  at  him.  "  How- 
ever," she  said  to  herself,  "of  a 'truth,  Need  giveth  the  law;  " 
and  she  approached  to  speak  with  him,  yet  her  heart  started 
away  from  him.  Presently  she  said,  "  O  Ghazban,  say  me,  wilt 
thou  help  me  against  the  perfidies  of  Fortune  and  conceal  my 
secret  if  I  discover  it  to  thee  ?  "  When  the  slave  saw  her,  his 
heart  was  taken  by  storm  and  he  fell  in  love  with  her  forthright  and 
could  not  but  reply,  "  O  my  mistress,  whatsoever  thou  biddest  me 
do,  I  will  not  depart  therefrom."  Quoth  she,  "  I  would  have  thee 
take  me  at  this  hour  and  take  this  my  handmaid  and  saddle  us 
two  camels  and  two  of  the  King's  horses  and  set  on  each  horse 
a  saddle-bag  of  goods  and  somewhat  of  provaunt,  and  go  with  us 
to  our  own  country  ;  where,  if  thou  desire  to  abide  with  us,  I  will 
marry  thee  to  her  thou  shalt  choose  of  my  handmaidens  ;  or, 
if  thou  prefer  return  to  thine  own  land,  we  will  marry  thee  and  give 
thee  whatso  thou  desirest  after  thou  hast  taken  of  money  what  shall 
satisfy  thee."  When  Al-Ghazban  heard  this,  he  rejoiced  with  great 
joy  and  replied,  "  O  my  lady,  I  will  serve  both  of  you  with  mine  eyes 
and  will  go  at  once  and  saddle  the  horses."  Then  he  went  away 
gladsome  and  saying  to  himself,  "  I  shall  get  my  will  of  them  ;  and 
if  they  will  not  yield  to  me,  I  will  kill  them  both  and  take 
their  riches."  But  he  kept  this  his  intent  to  himself,  and  presently 
returned  with  two  camels  and  three  head  of  horses,  one  of  which 
he  rode,  and  Princess  Abrizah  made  Marjanah  mount  the  second, 
she  mounting  the  third,  albeit  she  was  in  labour-pains  and 
possessed  not  her  soul  for  anguish.  And  the  slave  ceased  not 

1  Meaning,  an  angry,  violent  man. 


126  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

travelling  with  them  night  and  day  through  the  passes  of  the 
mountains,  till  there  remained  but  a  single  march  between  them 
and  their  own  country  ;  when  the  travail  pangs  came  upon 
Abrizah  and  she  could  no  longer  resist ;  so  she  said  to  Al- 
Ghazban,  "Set  me  down,  for  the  pains  of  labour  are  upon  me;'* 
and  cried  to  Marjanah,  "  Do  thou  alight  and  sit  by  me  and  deliver 
me  "  Then  Marjanah  dismounted  from  her  horse,  and  Al-Ghazban 
did  in  like  sort,  and  they  made  fast  the  bridles  and  helped  the 
Princess  to  dismount,  for  she  was  aswoon  from  excess  of  anguish. 
When  Al-Ghazban  saw  her  on  the  ground,  Satan  entered  into  him 
and  he  drew  his  falchion  and  brandishing  it  in  her  face,  said,  "  O  my 
lady,  vouchsafe  me  thy  favours."  Hearing  these  words  she  turned 
to  him  and  said,  "  It  remaineth  for  me  only  that  I  yield  me  to 

negro  slaves,  after  having  refused  Kings  and  Braves !  " And 

Shahrazad  preceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her 
permitted  say. 


fo&en  ft  foas  tfje  Jpfftg-seconto 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Princess 
Abrizah  said  to  the  black  slave  Al-Ghazban,  "  It  remaineth  for  me 
only  that  I  yield  me  to  negro  slaves,  after  having  refused  Kings  and 
Braves!  "  And  she  was  wroth  with  him  and  cried,  "Woe  to  thee  ! 
what  words  are  these  thou  sayest  ?  Out  on  thee,  and  talk  not  thus 
in  my  presence  and  know  that  I  will  never  consent  to  what  thou 
sayest,  though  I  drink  the  cup  of  death.  Wait  till  I  have  cast  my 
burden  and  am  delivered  of  the  after-birth,  and  then,  if  thou  be 
able  thereto,  do  with  me  as  thou  wilt ;  but,  an  thou  leave  not  lewd 
talk  at  this  time,  assuredly  I  will  slay  myself  with  my  own  hand 
and  quit  the  world  and  be  at  peace  from  all  this."  And  she  began 
reciting  extempore1 : — 

O  spare  me,  thou  Ghazban,  indeed  enow  for  me  o    Are  heavy  strokes  of  time, 

mischance  and  misery ! 
Whoredom  my  Lord  forfends  to  all  humanity ;  o  Quoth  He,  "  Who  breaks  my 

bidding  Hell  for  home  shall  see  ! " 


1  Arab.  "Inshad,"  which  may  mean  reciting  the  verse  of  another  or  improvising  one's 
own.  In  Modern  Egypt  "  Munshid  "  is  the  singer  or  reciter  of  poetry  at  Zikrs  (Lane 
M.  E.  chapt.  xxiv.).  Here  the  verses  are  quite  bad  enough  to  be  improvised  by  the 
hapless  Princess. 


Talc  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'iiman  and  his  Sons.        127 

And  if  thou  leave  not  suing  me  to  whoredom's  way  o  Against  th'  Almighty's 

choicest  gift,  my  chastity, 
Upon  my  tribesmen  I  with  might  and  main  will  call   o  And  gather  all,  however 

far  or  near  they  be  ; 
And  with  Yamdni  blade  were  I  in  pieces  hewn,  o  Ne'er  shall  he  sight  my  face 

who  makes  for  villeiny, 
The  face  of  free-born  come  of  noble  folk  and  brave  ;  o  What  then  can  be  to 

me  the  seed  of  whoreson  slave  ? 

When  Ghazban  heard  these  lines  he  was  wroth  exceedingly  ;  his 
eyes  reddened  with  blood  and  his  face  became  a  dusty-grey  * ;  his 
nostrils  swelled,  his  lips  protruded  and  the  repulsiveness  of  his 
aspect  redoubled.  And  he  repeated  these  couplets  : — 

Ho  thou,  Abrizah,  mercy  !  leave  me  not  for  I  o  Of  thy  love  and  Yamini* 

glance  the  victim  lie 
My  heart  is  cut  to  pieces  by  thy  cruelty,  o  My  body  wasted  and  my  patience 

done  to  die  : 
From  glances  ravishing  all  hearts  with  witchery  o  Reason  far  flies,  the  while 

desire  to  thee  draws  nigh  ; 
Though  at  thy  call  should  armies  fill  the  face  of  earth  o  E'en  now  I'd  win  my 

wish  and  worlds  in  arms  defy  ! 

When  Abrizah  heard  these  words,  she  wept  with  sore  weeping  and 
said  to  him,  "  Woe  to  thee,  O  Ghazban  !  How  dareth  the  like  of 
thee  to  address  me  such  demand,  O  base-born  and  obscene-bred  ? 
Dost  thou  deem  all  folk  are  alike  ? "  When  the  vile  slave  heard 
this  from  her,  he  waxt  more  enraged  and  his  eyes  grew  redder : 
and  he  came  up  to  her  and  smiting  her  with  the  sword  on  her  neck 
wounded  her  to  the  death.  Then  he  drove  her  horse  before  him 
with  the  treasure  and  made  off"  with  himself  to  the  mountains. 
Such  was  the  case  with  Al-Ghazban ;  but  as  regards  Abrizah,  she 
gave  birth  to  a  son,  like  the  moon,  and  Marjanah  took  the  babe 
and  did  him  the  necessary  offices  and  laid  him  by  his  mother's 


1  The  negro  skin  assumes  this  dust-colour  in  cold,  fear,  concupiscence  and  other 
mental  emotions. 

2  He  compares  her  glance  with  the  blade  of  a  Yamani  sword,  a   lieu  commun  ol 
Eastern  poetry.     The  weapons  are  famous  in  The  Nights ;  but  the  best  sword-cutlery 
came  from  Persia  as  the  porcelain  from  China  to  Sana'a.     Here,  however,  is  especial 
allusion  as  to  the  sword  "  Samsam  "  or  "  Samsamah."     It  belonged  to  the  Himyarite 
Tobba,  Amru  bin  Ma'ad  Kurb,  and  came  into  the  hands  of  Harun  al-Rashid.     When 
the  Emperor  of  the  Greeks  sent  a  present  of  superior  sword-blades  to  him  by  way  of  a 
brave,  the  Caliph,  in  the  presence  of  the  Envoys,  took  "  Samsam"  in  hand  and  cut  the 
others  in  twain  as  if  they  were  cabbages  without  the  least  prejudice   to    the  edge  of 
*'  Samsam." 


128  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

side ;  and  lo  and  behold  !  the  child  fastened  to  its  mother's  breast 
and  she  dying.1  When  Marjanah  saw  this,  she  cried  out  with  a 
grievous  cry  and  rent  her  raiment  and  cast  dust  on  her  head  and 
buffeted  her  cheeks  till  blood  flowed,  saying,  "  Alas,  my  mistress  ! 
Alas,  the  pity  of  it !  Thou  art  dead  by  the  hand  of  a  worthless 
black  slave,  after  all  thy  knightly  prowess  !  "  And  she  ceased  not 
weeping  when  suddenly  a  great  cloud  of  dust  arose  and  walled 
the  horizon2 ;  but,  after  awhile,  it  lifted  and  discovered  a  numerous 
conquering  host.  Now  this  was  the  army  of  King  Hardub,  Prin- 
cess Abrizah's  father,  and  the  cause  of  his  coming  was  that  when 
he  heard  of  his  daughter  and  her  handmaids  having  fled  to  Bagh- 
dad, and  that  they  were  with  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  he  had 
come  forth,  leading  those  with  him,  to  seek  tidings  of  her  from 
travellers  who  might  have  seen  her  with  the  King.  When  he  had 
gone  a  single  day's  march  from  his  capital,  he  espied  three  horse- 
men afar  off  and  made  towards  them,  intending  to  ask  whence 
they  came  and  seek  news  of  his  daughter.  Now  these  three  whom 
he  saw  at  a  distance  were  his  daughter  and  Marjanah  and  the  slave 
Al-Ghazban  ;  and  he  made  for  them  to  push  enquiry.  Seeing  this 
the  villain  blackamoor  feared  for  himself ;  so  he  killed  Abrizah 
and  fled  for  his  life.  When  they  came  up,  King  Hardub  saw  his 
daughter  lying  dead  and  Marjanah  weeping  over  her,  and  he  threw 
himself  from  his  steed  and  fell  fainting  to  the  ground.  All  the 
riders  of  his  company,  the  Emirs  and  Wazirs,  took  foot  and  forth- 
right pitched  their  tents  on  the  mountain  and  set  up  for  the  King 
a  great  pavilion,  domed  and  circular,  without  which  stood  the 
grandees  of  the  realm.  When  Marjanah  saw  her  master,  she  at 
once  recognized  him  and  her  tears  redoubled  ;  and,  when  he  came 
to  himself,  he  questioned  her  and  she  told  him  all  that  had  passed 
and  said,  "  Of  a  truth  he  that  hath  slain  thy  daughter  is  a  black 
slave  belonging  to  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  and  she  informed 

1  This  touch  of  pathos  is  truly  Arab.     So-in  the  "  Romance  of  Dalhamah"  (Lane, 
M.  E.  xxiii.)  the  infant  Gundubah  sucks  the  breast  of  its  dead  mother  and  the  King 
exclaims,  "If  she  had  committed  this  crime  she  would  not  be  affording  the  child  her 
milk  after  she  was  dead." 

2  Arab.   Sadda'l-Aktar,   a  term   picturesque   enough   to  be  preserved   in   English. 
"  Sadd,"  I  have  said,  is  a  wall  or  dyke,  the  term  applied  to  the  great  dam  of  water- 
plants  which  obstructs  the  navigation  of  the  Upper  Nile,  the  lilies  and  other  growths 
floating  with  the  current  from  the  (Victoria)  Nyanza  Lake.     I  may  note  that  we  need  no 
longer  derive  from  India  the  lotus-lily  so  extensively  used  by  the  Ancient  Egyptians  and 
so   neglected   by  the  moderns  that   it  has  well  nigh  .disappeared.      All  the  Central 
African  basins  abound  in  the  Nymphaea  and  thence  it  found  its  way  down  the  Nile- 
Valley. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  at-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.       I2p 

him  how  Sharrkan's  father  had  dealt  with  the  Princess.  When 
King  Hardub  heard  this,  the  world  grew  black  in  his  sight  and  he 
wept  with  sore  weeping.  Then  he  called  for  a  litter  and,  therein 
laying  his  dead  daughter,  returned  to  Caesarea  and  carried  her  into 
the  palace,  where  he  went  in  to  his  mother,  Zat  al-Dawahi,  and 
said  to  that  Lady  of  Calamities,  "  Shall  the  Moslems  deal  thus 
with  my  girl  ?  Verily  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  despoiled  her 
of  her  honour  by  force,  and  after  this,  one  of  his  black  slaves  slew 
her.  By  the  truth  of  the  Messiah,  I  will  assuredly  take  blood- 
revenge  for  my  daughter  and  clear  away  from  mine  honour  the 
stain  of  shame  ;  else  will  I  kill  myself  with  mine  own  hand ! " 
And  he  wept  passing  sore.  Quoth  his  mother,  "  None  other  than 
Marjanah  killed  thy  daughter,  for  she  hated  her  in  secret ; "  and 
she  continued  to  her  son,  "  Fret  not  for  taking  the  blood-wit  of  thy 
daughter,  for,  by  the  truth  of  the  Messiah,  I  will  not  turn  back 
from  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  till  I  have  slain  him  and  his 
sons ;  and  of  a  very  truth  I  will  do  with  him  a  deed,  passing  the 
power  of  Sage  and  Knight,  whereof  the  chroniclers  shall  tell 
chronicles  in  all  countries  and  in  every  place  :  but  needs  must 
thou  do  my  bidding  in  all  I  shall  direct,  for  whoso  be  firmly  set  on 
the  object  of  his  desire  shall  surely  compass  his  desire."  "  By  the 
virtue  of  the  Messiah,"  replied  he,  "  I  will  not  cross  thee  in  aught 
thou  shalt  say."  Then  quoth  she,  "  Bring  me  a  number  of  hand- 
maids, high-bosomed  virgins,  and  summon  the  wise  men  of  the 
age  and  let  them  teach  them  philosophy  and  the  rules  of  behaviour 
before  Kings,  and  the  art  of  conversation  and  making  verses  ;  and 
let  them  talk  with  them  of  all  manner  science  and  edifying  know- 
ledge. And  the  sages  must  be  Moslems,  that  they  may  teach  them 
the  language  and  traditions  of  the  Arabs,  together  with  the  history 
of  the  Caliphs  and  the  ancient  annals  of  the  Kings  of  Al-Islam ; 
and  if  we  persevere  in  this  for  four  years'  space,  we  shall  gain  our 
case.  So  possess  thy  soul  in  patience  and  wait ;  for  one  of  the 
Arabs  saith  : — If  we  take  man-bote  after  years  forty  the  time  were 
short  to  ye.  When  we  have  taught  the  girls  these  things,  we  shall 
be  able  to  work  our  will  with  our  foe,  for  he  doteth  on  women  and 
he  hath  three  hundred  and  sixty  concubines,  whereto  are  now 
added  an  hundred  of  the  flowers  of  thy  handmaidens  who  were 
with  thy  daughter,  she  that  hath  found  mercy.1  As  soon  as  I 
have  made  an  end  of  their  education,  as  described  to  thee,  I  will 


1  Arab.  "  Al-Marhumah"  :  equivalent  to  our  "  late  lamented." 
VOL.  II. 


I 3°  <Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

take  them  and  set  out  with  them  in  person."  When  King  Harciub 
heard  his  mother's  words,  he  rejoiced  and  arose  and  kissed  her 
head ;  and  at  once  despatched  messengers  and  couriers  to  lands 
.sundry  and  manifold  to  fetch  him  Moslem  sages.  They  obeyed 
his  commands  and  fared  to  far  countries  and  thence  brought  him 
the  sages  and  the  doctors  he  sought.  When  these  came  into 
presence,  he  honoured  them  with  notable  honours  and  bestowed 
dresses  on  them  and  appointed  to  them  stipends  and  allowances 
and  promised  them  much  money  whenas  they  should  have  taught 
the  damsels.  Then  he  committed  the  handmaidens  to  their  hands 

And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying 

her  permitted  say. 

Nota  foj)£n  ft  foas  tfe 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  the 
sages  and  the  doctors  stood  in  presence  of  King  Hardub,  he 
honoured  them  with  notable  honours  and  committed  the  hand- 
maidens to  their  hands,  enjoining  that  these  be  instructed  in  all 
manner  of  knowledge,  philosophy  and  polite  accomplishments ;  and 
they  set  themselves  to  do  his  bidding.  Such  was  the  case  with  King 
Hardub  ;  but  as  for  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  when  he  returned 
from  coursing  and  hunting  and  entered  his  palace,  he  sought 
Princess  Abrizah  but  found  her  not,  nor  any  one  knew  of  her  nor 
could  any  give  him  news  of  her.  This  was  grievous  to  him  and  he 
said,  "  How  could  the  lady  leave  the  palace  unknown  of  any  ?  Had 
my  kingdom  been  at  stake  in  this  case,  it  were  in  perilous 
condition  there  being  none  to  govern  it !  I  will  never  again  go  to 
sport  and  hunt  till  I  have  stationed  at  the  gates  those  who  shall 
keep  good  guard  over  them  ! "  And  he  was  sore  vexed  and  his 
breast  v/as  straitened  for  the  loss  of  Princess  Abrizah.  Hereupon 
behold,  his  son  Sharrkan  returned  from  his  journey;  and  the  father 
told  him  what  had  happened,  and  informed  him  how  the  lady  had 
fled,  whilst  he  was  chasing  and  hunting,  whereat  he  grieved  with 
exceeding  grief.  Then  King  Omar  took  to  visiting  his  children 
every  day  and  making  much  of  them  and  brought  them  learned 
men  and  doctors  to  teach  them,  appointing  for  their  stipends. 
When  Sharrkan  saw  this,  he  raged  with  exceeding  rage  and  envied 
thereupon  his  brother  and  sister  till  the  signs  of  chagrin  appeared 
in  his  face  and  he  ceased  not  to  languish  by  reason  of  this  matter  : 
so  one  day  his  father  said  to  him,  "  Why  do  I  see  thee  grown  weak 
in  body  and  yellow  of  face  ?  "  "  O  my  father.1'  replied  Sharrkan, 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nituman  and  his  Sons.       1 3 1 

••every  time  I  see  thee  fondle  my  brother  and  sister  and  make 
much  of  them,  jealousy  seizeth  on  me,  and  I  fear  lest  it  grow  on 
me  till  I  slay  them  and  thou  slay  me  in  return.  And  this  is  the 
reason  of  my  weakness  of  body  and  change  of  complexion.  But 
now  I  crave  of  thy  favour  that  thou  give  me  one  of  thy  castles 
outlying  the  rest,  that  I  may  abide  there  the  remnant  of  my  life, 
for  as  the  sayer  of  bywords  saith : — Absence  from  my  friend  is 
better  and  fitter  for  me  ;  and,  Whatso  eye  doth  not  perceive,  that 
garreth  not  heart  to  grieve."  And  he  bowed  his  head  towards  the 
ground  When  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  heard  his  words  and 
knew  the  cause  of  his  ailment  and  of  his  being  broken  down,  he 
soothed  his  heart  and  said  to  him,  "  O  my  son,  I  grant  thee  this 
and  I  have  not  in  my  reign  a  greater  than  the  Castle  of  Damascus, 
and  the  government  of  it  is  thine  from  this  time."  Thereupon  he 
forthright  summoned  his  secretaries  of  state  and  bade  them  write 
Sharrkan's  patent  of  investiture  to  the  viceroyalty  of  Damascus  of 
Syria.  And  when  they  had  written  it,  he  equipped  him  and  sent 
with  him  the  Wazir  Dandan,  and  invested  him  with  the  rule  ancl 
•government  and  gave  him  instructions  as  to  policy  and  regulations  ; 
and  took  leave  of  him,  and  the  grandees  and  officers  of  state  did 
likewise,  and  he  set  out  with  his  host.  When  he  arrived  at 
Damascus,  the  townspeople  beat  the  drums  and  blew  the  trumpets 
and  decorated  the  city  and  came  out  to  meet  him  in  great  state  ; 
whilst  all  the  notables  and  grandees  paced  in  procession,  and 
those  who  stood  to  the  right  of  the  throne  walked  on  his  right 
flank,  and  the  others  to  the  left.  Thus  far  concerning  Sharrkan  ; 
but  as  regards  his  father,  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  soon  after  the 
departure  of  his  son,  the  children's  tutors  and  governors  presented 
themselves  before  him  and  said  to  him,  "O  our  lord,  thy  children 
have  now  learnt  knowledge  and  they  are  completely  versed  in  the 
rules  of  manners  and  the  etiquette  of  ceremony."  The  King 
rejoiced  thereat  with  exceeding  joy  and  conferred  bountiful  largesse 
upon  the  learned  men,  seeing  Zau  al-Makan  grown  up  and 
flourishing  and  skilled  in  horsemanship.  This  Prince  had  reached 
the  age  of  fourteen  and  he  occupied  himself  with  piety  and 
prayers,  loving  the  poor,  the  Olema  and  the  Koran-students,  so 
that  all  the  people  of  Baghdad  loved  him.  men  and  women. 
One  day,  the  procession  of  the  Mahmil  '  of  Irak  passed  round 


1  Vulgarly  pronounced  "  Mahmal,"  and  by  Egyptians  and  Turks  "  Mehrael." 
(M.  E.  xxiv.)  has  figured  this  queenly  litter  and  I  have  sketched  and  described  it  in  my 
Pilgrimage  (iii.  12). 


132  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

Baghdad  before  its  departure  for  the  pilgrimage  to  Meccah  and 
visitation  of  the  tomb  of  the    Prophet    (whom  Allah  bless  and 
preserve !).    When  Zau  al-Makan    saw  the    Mahmil   procession 
he  was    seized  with   longing    desire   to  become  a  pilgrim  , *   so 
he  went  in  to  his  sire  and  said,  "  I  come   to  ask   thy  leave  to 
make  the  pilgrimage."     But  his  father  forbade  him  saying,  "  Wait 
till  next  year  and  I  will  go  and  thou  too."     When  the  Prince 
saw  that  the  matter  was  postponed,  he  betook  himself  to  his  sister 
Nuzhat  al-Zaman,  whom  he  found  standing  at  prayer.     As  soon 
as  she  had  ended  her  devotions  he  said  to  her,  "  I  am  dying  with 
desire  of  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  House  of  Allah  at  Meccah  and  to 
visit  the  tomb  of  the  Prophet,  upon  whom  be  peace !  I  asked  my 
father's  leave,  but  he  forbade  me  that ,  so  I  mean  to  take  privily 
somewhat  of  money  and  set  out  on  the  pilgrimage  without  his 
knowledge."     "  Allah  upon  thee,"  exclaimed  she,  "  take  me  with 
thee  and  deprive  me  not  of  visitation  to  the  tomb  of  the  Prophet, 
whom  Allah  bless  and  keep  !  "   And  he  answered,  "  As  soon  as  it 
is  dark  night,  do  thou  come  forth  from  this  place,  without  telling 
any."    Accordingly,  when  it  was  the  middle  of  the  night  she  arose 
and  took  somewhat  of  money  and  donned  a  man's  habit ;  and  she 
ceased  not  walking  to  the  palace-gate,  where  she  found  Zau  al- 
Makan  with   camels   ready  for  marching.     So  he  mounted  and 
mounted  her;  and  the  two  fared  on  till  they  were  in  the  midst 
of  the  Iraki2  pilgrim-party,  and  they  ceased   not  marching  and 
Allah  wrote  safety  for  them,  till  they  entered  Meccah  the  Holy 
and  stood  upon  Arafat  and  performed  the  pilgrimage-rites.     Then 
they  made  a  visitation  to  the  tomb  of  the  Prophet  (whom  Allah 
bless  and  assain !)  and  thought  to  return  with  the  pilgrims  to  their 
native  land.     But  Zau  al-Makan  said  to  his  sister,  "  O  my  sister,  it 
is  in  my  mind  to  visit  the  Holy  House,3  Jerusalem,  and  Abraham 
the  Friend  of  Allah 4  (on  whom  be  peace !)."  "  I  also  desire  so  to 


1  For  such  fits  of  religious  enthusiasm  see  my  Pilgrimage  (iii.  254). 

8  "  Irdk  "  (Mesopotamia)  means  "  a  level  country  beside  the  banks  of  a  river.'* 

8  "  Al-Kuds,"  or  "  Bayt  al-Mukaddas,"  is  still  the  popular  name  of  Jerusalem,  from 
the  Heb*  Yerushalaim  ha-Kadushah  (legend  on  shekel  of  Simon  Maccabeus). 

4  "  Follow  the  religion  of  Abraham."  says  the  Koran  (chapt.  iii.  89).  Abraham,  titled 
"  Khalilu'llah,"  ranks  next  in  dignity  to  Mohammed,  preceding  Isa ;  I  need  hardly  say 
that  his  tomb  is  not  in  Jerusalem  nor  is  the  tomb  itself  at  Hebron  ever  visited.  Here 
Moslems  (soi  disant)  are  allowed  by  the  jealousies  of  Europe  to  close  and  conceal  a  place 
which  belongs  to  the  world,  especially  to  Jews  and  Christians,  The  tombs,  if  they  exist, 
lie  in  a  vault  or  cave  under  the  Mosque. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Ntfuman  and  his  Sons.       \  33 

do,"  replied  she.  So  they  agreed  upon  this  and  he  fared  forth  and 
took  passage  for  himself  and  her  and  they  made  ready  and  set  out 
in  the  ship  with  a  company  of  Jerusalem  palmers.  That  ver/ 
night  the  sister  fell  sick  of  an  aguish  chill,  and  was  grievously  ill 
but  presently  recovered,  after  which  the  brother  also  sickened. 
She  tended  him  during  his  malady  and  they  ceased  not  wayfaring 
till  they  arrived  at  Jerusalem,  but  the  fever  increased  on  him 
and  he  grew  weaker  and  weaker.  They  alighted  at  a  Khan  and 
there  hired  a  lodging ;  but  Zau  al-Makan's  sickness  ceased  not  to 
increase  on  him,  till  he  was  wasted  with  leanness  and  became 
delirious.  At  this,  his  sister  was  greatly  afflicted  and  exclaimed, 
"  There  is  no  Majesty  and  there  is  no  Might  save  in  Allah,  the 
Glorious,  the  Great!  This  is  the  decree  of  Allah!"  They  sojourned 
in  that  place  awhile,  his  weakness  ever  increasing  and  she  attending 
him  and  buying  necessaries  for  him  and  for  herself,  till  all  the  money 
she  had  was  expended  and  she  became  so  poor  that  she  had  not 
so  much  as  a  dirham  left.  Then  she  sent  a  servant  of  the  Khan  to 
the  bazar  with  some  of  her  clothes,  and  he  sold  them  and  she  spent 
the  price  upon  her  brother ;  then  sold  she  something  more  and  she 
ceased  not  selling  all  she  had,  piece  by  piece,  till  nothing  was  left 
but  an  old  rug.  Whereupon  she  wept  and  exclaimed, "  Verily  is 
Allah  the  Orderer  of  the  past  and  the  future!"  Presently  her 
brother  said  to  her,  "  O  my  sister,  I  feel  recovery  drawing  near 
and  my  heart  longeth  for  a  little  roast  meat."  "  By  Allah  !  O  my 
brother,"  replied  she,  "  I  have  no  face  to  beg  ;  but  to-morrow  I  will 
enter  some  rich  man's  house  and  serve  him  and  earn  somewhat  for 
our  living."  Then  she  bethought  herself  awhile  and  said,  "  Of  a 
truth  'tis  hard  for  me  to  leave  thee  and  thou  in  this  state,  but  I 
must  despite  myself !  "  He  rejoined,  "  Allah  forbid  !  Thou  wilt 
be  put  to  shame ;  but  there  is  no  Majesty  and  there  is  no  Might 
save  in  Allah  ! "  And  he  wept  and  she  wept  too.  Then  she  said, 
"  O  my  brother,  we  are  strangers  who  have  dwelt  here  a  full  year, 
but  none  hath  yet  knocked  at  our  door.  Shall  we  then  die  of 
hunger  ?  I  know  no  resource  but  that  I  go  out  and  do  service  and 
earn  somewhat  to  keep  us  alive,  till  thou  recover  from  thy  sickness, 
when  we  will  travel  back  to  our  native  land."  She  sat  weeping 
awhile  and  he  wept  too,  propped  upon  his  elbow.  Then  Nuzhat 
al-Zaman  arose  and,  veiling  her  head  with  a  bit  of  camlet,1  which 


1  Abd,  or  Aba'ab,"vuJg.  Abayah,  is  a  cloak  of  hair,  goat's  or  camel's ;  too  well  known 
to  require  description. 


134  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

had  been  of  the  cameleer's  clothes  and  which  the  owner  had 
forgotten  and  left  with  them  ;  she  kissed  the  head  of  her  brother 
and  embraced  him  and  went  forth  from  him,  weeping  and  knowing 
not  whither  she  should  wend.  And  she  stinted  not  going  and  her 
brother  Zau  al-Makan  awaiting  her  return  till  the  supper-time ; 
but  she  came  not,  and  he  watched  for  her  till  the  morning  morrowed 
but  still  she  returned  not ;  and  this  endured  till  two  days  went  by. 
He  was  greatly  troubled  thereat  and  his  heart  fluttered  for  herr 
and  hunger  was  sore  upon  him.  At  last  he  left  the  chamber  and, 
calling  the  servant  of  the  caravanserai,  said,  "  I  wish  thee  to  bear 
me  to  the  bazar."  So  he  carried  him  to  the  market-street  and 
laid  him  down  there  ;  and  the  people  of  Jerusalem  gathered  round 
him  and  were  moved  to  tears  seeing  his  condition.  He  signed  to 
them  begging  for  somewhat  to  eat ;  so  they  brought  him  some 
money  from  certain  of  the  merchants  who  were  in  the  bazar,  and 
bought  food  and  fed  him  therewith ;  after  which  they  carried  him 
to  a  shop,  where  they  spread  him  a  mat  of  palm-leaves  and  set  an 
ewer  of  water  at  his  head.  When  night  fell,  all  the  folk  went  away, 
sore  concerned  for  him  and,  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  he  called 
to  mind  his  sister  and  his  sickness  redoubled  on  him,  so  that  he 
abstained  from  eating  and  drinking  and  became  insensible  to  the 
world  around  him.  Then  the  bazar-people  arose  and  took  for  him 
from  the  merchants  thirty-seven  dirhams,  and  hiring  a  camel,  said 
to  the  driver,  "  Carry  this  sick  man  to  Damascus  and  leave  him  in 
the  hospital ;  haply  he  may  be  cured  and  recover  health."  "  On 
my  head  be  it ! "  replied  the  camel-man  ;  but  he  said  to  himself, 
"  How  shall  I  take  this  sick  man  to  Damascus,  and  he  nigh  upon 
death  ? "  So  he  carried  him  away  to  a  place  and  hid  with  him  till 
the  night,  when  he  threw  him  down  on  the  ash-heap  near  the  fire- 
hole  of  a  Hammam  and  went  his  way.  When  morning  dawned 
the  Stoker1  of  the  bath  came  to  his  work  and,  finding  Zau  al- 
Makan  cast  on  his  back,  exclaimed ?  "Why  did  they  not  throw 
their  dead  body  any  where  but  here  ? "  So  saying,  he  gave  him  a 
kick  and  he  moved ;  whereupon  quoth  the  Fireman,  "  Some  one  of 
you  who  hath  eaten  a  bit  of  Hashish  and  hath  thrown  himself 
down  in  whatso  place  it  be  ! "  Then  he  looked  at  his  face  and  saw 
his  hairless  cheeks  and  his  grace  and  comeliness ;  so  he  took  pity 
on  him  and  knew  that  he  was  sick  and  a  stranger  in  the  land. 


*  Arab.  <f  Al-Wakkid ;"  the  man  who  lights  and  keeps  up  the  bath-fires., 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.       135 

And  he  cried,  "  There  is  no  Majesty  and  there  is  no  Might  save  in 
Allah !  verily,  I  have  sinned  against  this  youth,  for  indeed  the 
Prophet  (whom  Allah  bless  and  keep !)  enjoineth  honour  to  the 
stranger,  more  especially  when  the  stranger  is  sick."  Then  he 
carried  him  home  and  went  in  with  him  to  his  wife  and  bade  her 
tend  him.  So  she  spread  him  a  sleeping-rug  and  set  a  cushion 
under  his  head,  then  warmed  water  for  him  and  washed  therewith 
his  hands  and  feet  and  face.  Meanwhile,  the  Stoker  went  to  the 
market  and  bought  some  rose-water  and  sugar,  and  sprinkled  Zau 
al-Makan's  face  with  the  water  and  gave  him  to  drink  of  the 
sherbet.  Then  he  fetched  a  clean  shirt  and  put  it  on  him.  With 
this,  Zau  al-Makan  sniffed  the  zephyr  of  health  and  recovery 
returned  to  him  ;  and  he  sat  up  and  leant  against  the  pillow. 
Hereat  the  Fireman  rejoiced  and  exclaimed,  "  Praise  be  to  Allah 
for  the  welfare  of  this  youth  !  O  Allah,  I  beseech  Thee  by  Thy 
knowledge  of  hidden  things,  that  Thou  make  the  salvation  of  this 

youth  to  be  at  my  hands !  " And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn 

of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


fofcen  (t  foas  t&e  Jpiftg-fourtJ  Ni 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  Fireman 
exclaimed,  "  O  Allah,  I  beseech  Thee  of  Thy  knowledge  of  hidden 
things,  that  thou  make  this  young  man's  life  the  work  of  my 
hands  !  "  And  he  ceased  not  to  nurse  him  for  three  days,  giving 
him  to  drink  of  sherbet  of  sugar  and  willow-flower  water  and  rose- 
water;  and  doing  him  all  manner  of  service  and  kindness,  till  health 
began  to  return  to  his  body  and  Zau  al-Makan  opened  his  eyes. 
Presently  came  in  the  Fireman  and,  seeing  him  sitting  up  and 
showing  signs  of  amendment,  said  to  him,  "  What  is  now  thy  state, 
O  my  son  ?  "  "  Praise  be  to  Allah,"  replied  Zau  al-Makan,  "  I  am 
well  and  like  to  recover,  if  such  be  the  will  of  Allah  Almighty  at 
this  time."  The  Stoker  praised  the  Lord  of  All  for  this  and, 
wending  fast  to  the  market,  bought  ten  chickens,  which  he  carried 
to  his  wife  and  said,  "  Kill  two  of  these  for  him  every  day,  one  at 
dawn  of  day  and  the  other  at  fall  of  day."  So  she  rose  up  and 
killed  a  fowl  and  brought  it  to  him  boiled,  and  fed  him  with  the 
flesh  and  made  him  drink  its  broth.  When  he  had  done  eating, 
she  fetched  hot  water  and  he  washed  his  hands  and  lay  back  upon 
the  pillow,  whereupon  she  covered  him  up  with  the  coverlet,  and 


136  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

he  slept  till  the  time  of  the  mid-afternoon  prayer.  Then  she 
arose  and  killed  another  fowl  and  boiled  it ;  after  which  she  cut 
it  up  and,  bringing  it  to  Zau  al-Makan,  said,  "  Eat,  O  my  son ! " 
While  he  was  eating  ;  behold,  her  husband  entered  and  seeing  her 
feeding  him,  sat  down  at  his  head  and  said  to  him,  "  How  is  it  with 
thee  now,  O  my  son  ? "  "  Thanks  be  to  Allah  for  recovery ! "  he 
replied  :  "  may  the  Almighty  requite  thee  thy  kindness  to  me." 
At  this  the  Fireman  rejoiced,  and  going  out,  bought  sherbet  of 
violets  and  rose-water  and  made  him  drink  it.  Now  the  Stoker 
used  to  work  at  the  Hammam  all  day  for  a  wage  of  five  dirhams, 
whereof  he  spent  every  day,  for  Zau  al-Makan,  one  dirham  upon 
sugar  and  sherbet  of  rose-water  and  willow-flower  water,1  and 
another  dirham  for  fowls ;  and  he  ceased  not  to  entreat  him  thus 
kindly  during  a  whole  month,  till  the  traces  of  illness  ceased  from 
him  and  he  was  once  more  sound  and  whole.  Thereupon  the 
Fireman  and  his  wife  rejoiced  and  asked  him,  "  O  my  son,  wilt 
thou  go  with  me  to  the  bath  ? " ;  whereto  he  answered,  "  Yes  ! " 
So  the  Stoker  went  to  the  bazar  and  fetched  a  donkey-boy,  and 
he  mounted  Zau  al-Makan  on  the  ass  and  supported  him  in  the 
saddle  till  they  came  to  the  bath.  Then  he  made  him  sit  down 
and  seated  the  donkey-boy  in  the  furnace-room  and  went  forth  to 
the  market  and  bought  lote-leaves  and  lupin-flour,2  with  which  he 
returned  to  the  bath  and  said  to  Zau  al-Makan,  "  O  my  master,  in 
Allah's  name,  walk  in  and  I  will  v/ash  thy  body."  So  they  entered 
the  inner  room  of  the  bath,  and  the  Fireman  took  to  rubbing  Zau 
al-Makan 's  legs  and  began  to  wash  his  body  with  the  leaves  and 
meal,  when  there  came  to  them  a  bathman,  whom  the  bath-keeper 
had  sent  to  Zau  al-Makan  ;  and  he,  seeing  the  Stoker  washing  and 
rubbing  him,  said,  "  This  is  doing  injury  to  the  keeper's  rights." 
Replied  the  Fireman,  4<  The  master  overwhelmed!  us  with  his 
favours !  "  Then  the  bathman  proceeded  to  shave  Zau  al-Makan's 
head,  after  which  he  and  the  Stoker  washed  themselves  and 
returned  to  the  house,  where  he  clad  Zau  al-Makan  in  a  shirt  of 
fine  stuff  and  a  robe  of  his  own ;  and  gave  him  a  handsome 
turband  and  girdle  and  a  light  kerchief  which  he  wound  about 
his -neck.  Meanwhile  the  Fireman's  wife  had  killed  and  cooked 
two  chickens ;  so,  as  soon  as  Zau  al-Makan  entered  and  seated 

1  Arab.  "  Ma  al-Khalaf"  (or  "Khilaf")  a  sickly  perfume  but   much  prized,  made 
from  the  flowers  of  the  Salix  ^Egyptiaca. 

2  Used  by  way  of  soap  ;  like  glasswort  and  othejr  plants. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.        137 

himself  on  the  carpet,  the  husband  arose  and,  dissolving  sugar  in 
willow-flower  water,  made  him  drink  of  it.  Then  he  brought  the 
food-tray  and,  cutting  up  the  chickens,  fed  him  with  the  flesh  and 
gave  him  the  broth  to  drink  till  he  was  satisfied  ;  when  he  washed 
his  hands  and  praised  Allah  for  recovery,  and  said  to  the  Fireman, 
"  Thou  art  he  whom  the  Almighty  vouchsafed  to  me  and  made  the 
cause  of  my  cure !  "  "  Leave  this  talk,"  replied  the  other,  "  and  tell 
us  the  cause  of  thy  coming  to  this  city  and  whence  thou  art.  Thy 
face  showeth  signs  of  gentle  breeding."  "  Tell  me  first  how  thou 
earnest  to  fall  in  with  me,"  said  Zau  al-Makan  ;  "  and  after  I  will 
tell  thee  my  story."  Rejoined  the  Fireman,  "  As  for  that,  I  found 
thee  lying  on  the  rubbish-heap  by  the  door  of  the  fire-house,  as  I 
went  to  my  work  near  the  morning,  and  knew  not  who  had  thrown 
thee  there.  So  I  carried  thee  home  with  me ;  and  this  is  all  my 
tale."  Quoth  Zau  al-Makan,  "  Glory  to  Him  who  quickeneth  the 
bones,  though  they  be  rotten  !  Indeed,  O  my  brother,  thou  hast 
not  done  good  save  to  one  worthy  of  it,  and  thou  shalt  presently 
gather  its  fruitage."  And  he  added,  "  But  where  am  I  now  ? " 
"  Thou  art  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,"  replied  the  Stoker ;  where- 
upon Zau  al-Makan  called  to  mind  his  strangerhood  and  remem- 
bered his  separation  from  his  sister  and  wept.  Then  he  discovered 
his  secret  to  the  Fireman  and  told  him  his  story  and  began 
repeating : 

In  love  they  bore  me  further  than  my  force  would  go,  e  And  for  them 
made  me  suffer  resurrection-throe  : 

Oh,  have  compassion,  cruel !  on  this  soul  of  mine  o  Which,  since  ye 
fared,  is  pitied  by  each  envious  foe  ; 

Nor  grudge  the  tender  mercy  of  one  passing  glance  o  My  case  to  ligh- 
ten, easing  this  excess  of  woe  : 

Quoth  I  "  Heart,  bear  this  loss  in  patience ! "  Patience  cried  o  "Take  heed !  no 
patience  in  such  plight  I'm  wont  to  show." 

Then  he  redoubled  his  weeping,  and  the  Fireman  said  to  him, 
"  Weep  not,  but  rather  praise  Allah  for  safety  and  recovery." 
Asked  Zau  al-Makan,  "  How  far  is  it  hence  to  Damascus  ? " 
Answered  the  other,  "  Six  days'  journey."  Then  quoth  Zau  al- 
Makan,  "  Wilt  thou  send  me  thither  ? "  "  O  my  lord,"  quoth  the 
Stoker,  "  how  can  I  allow  thee  to  go  alone,  and  thou  a  youth  and 
a  stranger  to  boot  ?  If  thou  would  journey  to  Damascus,  I  am  one 
who  will  go  with  thee  ;  and  if  my  wife  will  listen  to  and  obey  me 
and  accompany  me,  I  will  take  up  my  abode  there ;  for  it  is  no 
light  matter  to  part  with  thee."  Then  said  he  to  his  wife,  "  Wilt 


138  A  If  Laylah  wa  Lay/ah. 

thou  travel  with  me  to  Damascus  of  Syria  or  wilt  thou  abide  here, 
whilst  I  lead  this  my  lord  thither  and  return  to  thee  ?  For  he  is 
bent  upon  going  to  Damascus  of  Syria  and,  by  Allah,  it  is  hard 
to  me  to  part  with  him,  and  I  fear  for  him  from  highway-men.'* 
Replied  she,  "  I  will  go  with  you  both  ;  "  and  he  rejoined,  "  Praised 
be  Allah  for  accord,  and  we  have  said  the  last  word  !  "  Then  he 
rose  and  selling  all  his  own  goods  and  his  wife's  gear  --  And 
Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her 
permitted  say. 


fojKtt  ft  foas  tfie  jptbc=an^jpiftictf)  Nig&t, 


She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  Fire- 
man and  his  wife  agreed  with  Zau  al-Makan  to  travel  with  him 
Damascus-wards.  Then  the  Stoker  sold  his  goods  and  his  wife's 
gear  and  bought  a  camel  and  hired  an  ass  for  Zau  al-Makan  ;  and 
they  set  out,  and  ceased  not  wayfaring  for  six  days  till  they  reached 
Damascus.  And  they  arrived  there  towards  eventide  ;  when  the 
Fireman  went  forth  and,  as  was  his  wont,  bought  some  meat  and 
drink.  They  had  dwelt  but  five  days  in  Damascus,  when  his  wife 
sickened  and,  after  a  short  illness,  was  translated  to  the  mercy  of 
Almighty  Allah.  Her  death  was  a  heavy  matter  to  Zau  al-Makan, 
for  he  was  grown  used  to  her  as  she  had  tended  him  assiduously  ; 
and  the  Fireman  grieved  for  her  with  excessive  grief.  Presently 
the  Prince  turned  to  the  Stoker  and  finding  him  mourning,  said  to 
him,  "  Grieve  not,  for  at  this  gate  we  must  all  go  in."  Replied  he, 
"  Allah  make  weal  thy  lot,  O  my  son  !  Surely  He  will  compen- 
sate us  with  His  favours  and  cause  our  mourning  to  cease.  What 
sayst  thou,  O  my  son,  about  our  walking  abroad  to  view  Damascus 
and  cheer  thy  spirits  ?  ?>  Replied  Zau  al-Makan,  "  Thy  will  is 
mine."  So  the  Fireman  arose  and  placed  his  hand  in  that  of 
Zau  al-Makan  and  the  two  walked  on  till  they  came  to  the  stables 
of  the  Viceroy  of  Damascus,  where  they  found  camels  laden  with 
chests  and  carpets  and  brocaded  stuffs,  and  horses  ready  saddled 
and  Bactrian  dromedaries,  while  Mamelukes  and  negro  slaves  and 
folk  in  a  hubbub  were  running  to  and  fro.  Quoth  Zau  al-Makan,  "  I 
wonder  to  whom  belong  all  these  chattels  and  camels  and  stuffs  !  " 
So  he  asked  one  of  the  eunuchs,  "  Whither  this  dispatching  ?  " 
and  he  answered,  "  These  are  presents  sent  by  the  Emir  of 
Damascus  to  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  with  the  tribute  of 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.       139 

Syria."     Now  when    Zau   al-Makan  heard  his  father's  name,  his 
eyes  brimmed  over  with  tears,  and  he  began  repeating  : — 

Oh   ye  gone  from  the  gaze  of  these  lidded  eyne,    o  Ye  whose  sight  in  my 

spirit  shall  ever  dwell  ! 
Your  charms  are  gone,  but  this  heart  of  me  o  Hath  no  sweet,  and  no  pleasures 

its  sour  dispel ; 
If  Allah's  grace  make  us  meet  again,  o  In  long-drawn  love-tale  my  love  111 

tell. 

And  when  he  had  ended  his  verse,  he  wept  and  the  Fireman  said 
to  him,  "  O  my  son,  we  hardly  believed  that  thy  health  had  re- 
turned ;  *  so  take  heart  and  do  not  weep,  for  I  fear  a  relapse  for 
thee."  And  he  ceased  not  comforting  and  cheering  him,  whilst 
Zau  al-Makan  sighed  and  moaned  over  his  strangerhood  and 
separation  from  his  sister  and  his  family  ;  and  tears  streamed 
from  his  eyes  and  he  recited  these  couplets : — 

Get  thee  provaunt  in  this  world  ere  thou  wend  upon  thy  way ;  °  And  know 

how  surely  Death  descends  thy  life-lot  to  waylay  : 
All  thy  wordly  goods  are  pride  and  the  painfullest  repine  ;     o  All  thy  worldly 

life  is  vexing  of  thy  soul  in  vain  display  : 
Say  is  not  worldly  wone  like  a  wanderer's  place  of  rest,  o  Where  at  night  he 

"  nakhs 2 "  his  camels  and  moves  off  at  dawn  of  day  ? 

And  he  continued  to  weep  and  wail  over  his  separation  ;  whilst 
the  Fireman  also  bewept  the  loss  of  his  wife,  yet  ceased  not  to 
comfort  Zau  al-Makan  till  morning  dawned.  When  the  sun  rose, 
he  said  to  him,  "  Meseemeth  thou  yearnest  for  thy  native  land  ? " 
"  Yes,"  replied  Zau  al-Makan,  "  and  I  can  no  longer  tarry  here ;  so 
I  will  commend  thee  to  Allah's  care  and  set  out  with  these  folk 
and  journey  with  them,  little  by  little,  till  I  come  to  my  mother- 
land." Said  the  Stoker,  "  And  I  with  thee ;  for  of  a  truth  I 
cannot  bear  to  part  with  thee.  I  have  done  thee  kindly  service 
and  I  mean  to  complete  it  by  tending  thee  on  thy  travel."  At 
this,  Zau  al-Makan  rejoiced  and  said,  "  Allah  abundantly  requite 
thee  for  me ! "  and  was  pleased  with  the  idea  of  their  travelling 
together.  The  Fireman  at  once  went  forth  and  bought  another 


1  i.e.,  "  Thou  art  only  just  recovered." 

a  To  "Nakh  "  is  to  gurgle  "  Ikh  !  Ikh  ! "  till  the  camel  kneels.  Hence  the  space 
called  "Barr  al-Manakhah"  in  Al-Medinah  (Pilgrimage  i.  222,  ii.  91).  There  is  a 
regular  camel-vocabulary  amongst  the  Arabs,  made  up  like  our  "  Gee  "  (go  ye !),  etc, 
of  significant  words  worn  down. 


140  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylak* 

ass,  selling  the  camel ;  and  laid  in  his  provaunt  and  said  to  Zau 
al-Makan,  "  This  is  for  thee  to  ride  by  the  way  ;  and,  when  thou 
art  weary  of  riding,  thou  canst  dismount  and  walk."  Said  Zau 
al-Makan,  "  May  Allah  bless  thee  and  aid  me  to  requite  thee ! 
for  verily  thou  hast  dealt  with  me  more  lovingly  than  one  with 
his  brother."  Then  he  waited  till  it  was  dark  night,  when  he  laid 
the  provisions  and  baggage  on  that  ass  and  set  forth  upon  their 
journey.  This  much  befel  Zau  al-Makan  and  the  Fireman ;  but 
as  regards  what  happened  to  his  sister  Nuzhat  al-Zaman,  when  she 
left  her  brother  in  the  Khan  where  they  abode  and,  wrapped  in  the 
old  camlet,  went  out  to  seek  service  with  some  one,  that  she  might 
earn  wherewithal  to  buy  him  the  roast  meat  he  longed  for,  she  fared 
on,  weeping  and  knowing  not  whither  to  go,  whilst  her  mind  was 
occupied  with  thoughts  of  her  brother  and  of  her  family  and  her 
native  land.  So  she  implored  Allah  Almighty  to  do  away  with 
these  calamities  from  them  and  began  versifying : — 

Dark  falls  the  nfght  and  Passion  comes  sore  pains  to  gar  me  dree,   o   And 

pine  upstirs  those  ceaseless  pangs  which  work  my  tormentry  , 
And  cease  not  separation-flames  my  vitals  to  consume,  o  And  drives  me  on 

destruction-way  this  sorrow's  ecstacy  ; 
And  longing  breeds  me  restlessness  ;  desfre  for  ever  fires,  o  And  tears  to  all 

proclaim  what  I  would  keep  in  secrecy: 
No  cunning  shift  is  known  to  me  a  meeting  to  secure,  o  That  1  may  quit  this 

sickly  state,  may  cure  my  malady : 
The  love  which  blazeth  in  my  heart  is  fed  with  fancy-fuel,  o  The  lover  from  its 

hell  of  fire  must  bear  Hell's  agony  ! ' 
O  thou  whoblamest  me  for  all  befel  me,  'tis  enough,  o  Patient  J  bear  whatever 

wrote  the  Reed  of  Doom  for  me  : 
By  Love  I  swear  I'll  never  be  consoled,  no,  never  more  ;  o  I  swear  the  oath  of 

Love's  own  slaves  who  know  no  perjury  : 
O  Night,  to  chroniclers  of  Love  the  news  of  me  declare;  o  That  sleep  hath  fed 

mine  eyelids  of  thy  knowledge  witness  bear  ! 

Then  she  walked  on,  weeping  and  turning  right  and  left  as  she 
went,  when  behold,  there  espied  her  an  old  Badawi 2  who  had  come 


1  Arab.  "  Laza,"  the  Second  Hell  provided  for  Jews. 

8  The  word  has  been  explained  (vol.  i.  112).  It  is  trivial,  not  occurring  in  the  Koran 
which  uses  "  Arabs  of  the  Desert  ;"  "  Arabs  who  dwell  in  tents,"  etc.  (chapt.  ix.  and 
xxxiii.  )•  "  A'arabi "  is  the  classical  word  and  the  origin  of  "Arab"  is  disputed. 
According  to  Pocock  (Notae  Spec.  Hist.  Arab.) :  "  Diverse  are  the  opinions  concern- 
ing the  denomination  of  the  Arabs  ;  but  the  most  certain  of  all  is  that  which  draws 
it  from  Arabah,  which  is  part  of  the  region  of  Tehama,  (belonging  to  Al-Medinah, 
Pilgrimage  ii.  118),  which  their  father  Ismail  afterwards  inhabited."  Tehamah 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.       141 

into  the  town  from  the  desert  with  wild  Arabs  other  five.  The  old 
man  took  note  of  her  and  saw  that  she  was  lovely,  but  she  had 
nothing  on  her  head  save  a  piece  of  camlet  ,  and,  marvelling  at 
her  beauty,  he  said  to  himself,  •'  This  charmer  dazzleth  men's  wits 
but  she  is  in  squalid  condition,  and  whether  she  be  of  the  people 
of  this  city  or  she  be  a  stranger,  I  needs  must  have  her."  So  he 
followed  her,  little  by  little,  till  he  met  her  face  to  face  and  stopped, 
the  way  before  her  in  a  narrow  lane,  and  called  out  to  her,  asking 
her  case,  and  said,  "  Tell  me,  O  my  little  daughter  !  art  thou  a  free- 
woman  or  a  slave  ? "  When  she  heard  this,  she  said  to  him,  "  By 
thy  life, do  not  add  to  my  sorrows '  "  Quoth  he,"  Allah  hath  blessed 
me  with  six  daughters,  of  whom  five  died  and  only  one  is  left  me, 
the  youngest  of  all ;  and  I  came  to  ask  thee  if  thou  be  of  the  folk 
of  this  city  or  a  stranger  ;  that  I  might  take  thee  and  carry  thee 
to  her,  to  bear  her  company  so  as  to  divert  her  from  pining  for  her 
sisters.  If  thou  have  no  kith  and  kin,  I  will  make  thee  as  one  of 
them  and  thou  and  she  shall  be  as  my  two  children."  Nuzhat  al- 
Zaman  bowed  her  head  in  bashfulness  when  she  heard  what  he  said 
and  communed  with  herself,  "Haply  1  may  trust  myself  to  this  old 
man."  Then  she  said  to  him, 4t  O  nuncle,  I  am  a  maiden  of  the 
Arabs  and  a  stranger  and  I  have  a  sick  brother  ;  but  1  will  go 
with  thee  to  thy  daughter  on  one  condition  ,  which  is,  tha.t  I  may 
spend  only  the  day  with  her  and  at  night  may  return  to  my  brother. 
If  thou  strike  this  bargain  I  will  fare  with  thee  ,  for  I  am  a  stranger 
and  I  was  high  in  honour  among  my  tribe,  and  I  awoke  one 
morning  to  find  myself  vile  and  abject.  I  came  with  my  brother 
from  the  land  of  Al-Hijaz  and  I  fear  lest  he  know  not  where  I  am." 
When  the  Badawi  heard  this,  he  said  to  himself,  "  By  Allah,  I 
have  got  my  desire ! "  Then  he  turned  to  her  and  replied,  "  There 
shall  none  be  dearer  to  me  than  thou;  I  wish  thee  only  to  bear 
my  daughter  company  by  day  and  thou  shalt  go  to  thy  brother  at 
earliest  nightfall.  Or,  if  thou  wilt,  bring  him  over  to  dwell  with 
us."  And  the  Badawi  ceased  not  to  console  her  heart  and  coax 
her,  till  she  trusted  in  him  and  agreed  to  serve  him.  Then  he 


(ncrra  callente)  is  the  maritime  region  of  Al-Hijaz,  the  Moslem's  Holy  Land,  and 
its  "  Arabah,"  a  very  small  tract  which  named  a  very  large  tract,  must  not  be  con- 
founded, as  some  have  done,  with  the  Wady  Arabah,  the  ancient  outlet  of  the  Dead 
Sea.  The  derivation  of  "Arab"  from  "  Ya'arab  "  a  fancied  son  of  Joktan  is  mytho- 
logical. In  Heb.  Arabia  may  be  called  "  Eretz  Ereb  "  (or  "  Arab")  =  land  of  the 
West  ;  but  in  Arabic  "Gharb"  (not  Ereb)  is  the  Occident  and  the  Arab  dates  long 
before  the  Hebrew. 


142  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

walked  on  before  her  and,  when  she  followed  him,  he  winked  to 
his  men  to  go  in  advance  and  harness  the  dromedaries  and  load 
them  with  their  packs  and  place  upon  them  water  and  provisions, 
ready  for  setting  out  as  soon  as  he  should  come  up  with  the 
camels.  Now  this  Badawi  was  a  base-born  churl,  a  highway  thief 
and  a  traitor  to  the  friend  he  held  most  lief,  a  rogue  in  grain,  past 
master  of  plots  and  chicane.  He  had  no  daughter  and  no  son  and 
was  only  passing  through  the  town  when,  by  the  decree  of  the 
Decreer,  he  fell  in  with  this  unhappy  one.  And  he  ceased  not  to 
hold  her  in  converse  on  the  highway  till  they  came  without  the  city 
of  Jerusalem  and,  when  outside,  he  joined  his  companions  and 
found  they  had  made  ready  the  dromedaries.  So  the  Badawi 
mounted  a  camel,  having  seated  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  behind  him 
and  they  rode  on  all  night.  Then  she  knew  that  the  Badawi's 
proposal  was  a  snare  and  that  he  had  tricked  her  ;  and  she  con- 
tinued weeping  and  crying  out  the  whole  night  long,  while  they 
journeyed  on  making  for  the  mountains,  in  fear  any  should  see 
them.  Now  when  it  was  near  dawn,  they  dismounted  from  their 
dromedaries  and  the  Badawi  came  up  to  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  and 
said  to  her,  "  O  city -strumpet,  what  is  this  weeping  ?  By  Allah,  an 
thou  hold  not  thy  peace,  I  will  beat  thee  to  death,  O  thou  town- 
filth  !  "  When  she  heard  this  she  loathed  life  and  longed  for  death  ; 
so  she  turned  to  him  and  said,  "  O  accursed  old  man,  O  gray-beard 
of  hell,  how  have  I  trusted  thee  and  thou  hast  played  me  false, 
and  now  thou  wouldst  torture  me  ? "  When  he  heard  her  reply  he 
cried  out,  "  O  lazy  baggage,  dost  thou  dare  to  bandy  words  with 
me  ? "  And  he  stood  up  to  her  and  beat  her  with  a  whip,  saying, 
"  An  thou  hold  not  thy  peace,  I  will  kill  thee  !  "  So  she  was  silent 
awhile,  then  she  called  to  mind  her  brother  and  the  happy  estate 
she  had  been  in  and  she  shed  tears  secretly.  Next  day,  she  turned 
to  the  Badawi  and  said  to  him,  "  How  couldst  thou  play  me  this 
trick  and  lure  me  into  these  bald  and  stony  mountains,  and  what 
is  thy  design  with  me  ?  "  When  he  heard  her  words  he  hardened 
his  heart  and  said  to  her,  "O  lazy  baggage  of  ill-omen  and 
insolent !  wilt  thou  bandy  words  with  me  ?  "  and  he  took  the  whip 
and  came  down  with  it  on  her  back  till  she  felt  faint.  Then  she 
bowed  down  over  his  feet  and  kissed1  them  ;  and  he  left  beating 


1  "  When  thine  enemy  extends  his  hand  to  thee,  cut  it  off  if  thou  can,  or  kiss  it,' 
wisely  said  Caliph  al-Mansur. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Ni?uman  and  his  Sons.       143 

her  and  began  reviling  her  and  said,  "  By  the  rights  of  my  bonnet,1 
if  I  see  or  hear  thee  weeping,  I  will  cut  out  thy  tongue  and  stuff 
it  up  thy  coynte,  O  thou  city-filth !"  So  she  was  silent  and  made 
him  no  reply,  for  the  beating  pained  her ;  but  sat  down  with  her 
arms  round  her  knees  and,  bowing  her  head  upon  her  collar,  began 
to  look  into  her  case  and  her  abasement  after  her  lot  of  high 
honour  ;  and  the  beating  she  had  endured  ;  and  she  called  to  mind 
her  brother  and  his  sickness  and  forlorn  condition,  and  how  they 
were  both  strangers  in  a  far  country,  which  drave  her  tears  down 
her  cheeks  and  she  wept  silently  and  began  repeating : — 

Time  hath  for  his  wont  to  upraise  and  debase,  o  Nor  is  lasting  condition  for 
human  race  : 

In  this  world  each  thing  hath  appointed  turn  ;  o  Nor  may  man  transgress 
his  determined  place  : 

How  long  these  perils  and  woes  ?  Ah  woe  *  For  a  life,  all  woeful  in  par- 
lous case  ! 

Allah  bless  not  the  days  which  have  laid  me  low  o  I'  the  world,  with  disgrace 
after  so  much  grace  ! 

My  wish  is  baffled,  my  hopes  cast  down,  *  And  distance  forbids  me  to 
greet  his  face  : 

O  thou  who  passeth  that  dear  one's  door,  o  Say  for  me,  these  tears  shall 
flow  evermore  ! 

When  she  had  finished  her  verses,  the  Badavvi  came  up  to  her  and, 
taking  compassion  on  her,  bespoke  her  kindly  and  wiped  away  her 
tears.  Then  he  gave  her  a  barley-scone  and  said,  "  I  love  not  one 
who  answereth  at  times  when  I  am  in  wrath :  so  henceforth  give 
me  no  more  of  these  impertinent  words  and  I  will  sell  thee  to  a 
good  man  like  myself,  who  will  do  well  with  thee,  even  as  I  have 
done."  "  Yes  ;  whatso  thou  doest  is  right,'*  answered  she  ;  and  when 
the  night  was  longsome  upon  her  and  hunger  burnt  her,  she  ate 
very  little  of  that  barley  bread.  In  the  middle  of  the  night  the 

Badawi  gave  orders  for  departure And  Shahrazad  -perceived  the 

dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


1  The  Tartur  was  a  peculiar  turban  worn  by  the  Northern  Arabs  and  shown  in  old 
prints.  In  modern  Egypt  the  term  is  applied  to  the  tall  sugar-loaf  caps  of  felt  affected 
mostly  by  regular  Dervishes.  Burckhardt  (Proverbs  194  and  398)  makes  it  Ihe  high  cap 
of  felt  or  fur  proper  to  the  irregular  cavalry  called  Dely  or  Delaty.  In  Dar  For 
(Darfour)  "Tartur"  is  a  conical  cap  adorned  with  beads  and  cowries  worn  by  the 
Manghwah  or  buffoon  who  corresponds  with  the  Egyptian  "  Khalbus  "  or  "  Maskharah  " 
and  the  Turkish  "  Sutari."  For  an  illustration  see  Plate  iv.  fig.  10  of  Voyage  au 
Darfour  par  Mohammed  El-Tounsy  (The  Tunisian),  Paris,  Duprat,  1845. 


144  A  If  Laylah  wet  Laylah. 


Nofo  tofjtn  ft  foas  tfie  SSfx-antr-Jpfftutf)  Ntgfjt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when 
the  Badawi  gave  the  barley  scone  to  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  and 
promised  he  would  sell  her  to  a  good  man  like  himself,  she 
replied,  "  Whatso  thou  doest  is  right !  "  and,  about  midnight, 
when  hunger  burned  her,1  she  ate  a  very  little  of  that  barley- 
bread  and  the  Badawi  ordered  his  party  to  set  out;  so  they 
loaded  their  loads  and  he  mounted  a  camel  setting  Nuzhat  al- 
Zaman  behind  him.  Then  they  journeyed  and  ceased  not 
journeying  for  three  days,  till  they  entered  the  city  of  Damascus 
and  alighted  at  the  Sultan's  Khan,  hard  by  the  Viceroy's  Gate. 
Now  she  had  lost  her  colour  by  grief  and  the  fatigue  of  such 
travelling,  and  she  ceased  not  to  weep  over  her  misfortunes.  So 
the  Badawi  came  up  to  her  and  said,  "  O  thou  city-filth,  by  the 
right  of  my  bonnet,  if  thou  leave  not  this  weeping,  I  will  sell  thec 
to  none  but  a  Jew  !  "  Then  he  arose  and  took  her  by  the  hand  and 
carried  her  to  a  chamber,  and  walked  off  to  the  bazar ,  and  he  went 
round  to  the  merchant',  who  dealt  in  slave-girls,  and  began  to 
parley  with  them,  saying,  "  I  have  brought  a  slave-girl  whose 
brother  fell  ill,  and  I  sent  him  to  my  people  about  Jerusalem,  that 
they  might  tend  him  till  he  is  cured.  As  for  her  I  want  to  sell  her, 
but  after  the  dog  her  brother  fell  sick,  the  separation  from  him  was 
grievous  to  her,  and  since  then  she  doth  nothing  but  weep  ,  and 
now  I  wish  that  whoso  is  minded  to  buy  her  of  me  speak  softly  to 
her  and  say  : — Thy  brother  is  with  me  in  Jerusalem  ill ;  and  I  will 
be  easy  with  him  about  her  price."  Then  one  of  the  merchants 
came  up  to  him  and  asked,  "  How  old  is  she  ? "  He  answered  "  She 
is  a  virgin,  just  come  to  marriageable  age,  and  she  is  endowed  with 
sense  and  breeding  and  wit  and  beauty  and  loveliness.  But  from 
the  day  I  sent  her  brother  to  Jerusalem,  her  heart  hath  been 
yearning  for  him,  so  that  her  beauty  is  fallen  away  and  her  value 
lessened."  Now  when  the  merchant  heard  this,  he  set  forth  with 
the  Badawi  and  said,  "  O  Shaykh2  of  the  Arabs,  I  will  go  with  thee 
and  buy  of  thee  this  girl  whom  thou  praisest  so  highly  for  wit  and 
manners  and  beauty  and  loveliness ;  and  I  will  pay  thee  her  price 


1  The  term  is  picturesque  and  true  ;  we  say  "  gnaw,"  which  is  not  so  good. 
*  Here,  meaning  an  Elder,  a  Chief,  etc. ;  the  word  has  been  almost  naturalised  in 
English.    I  have  noted  that  Abraham  was  the  first  "  Shaykh." 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       145 

but  it  must  be  upon  conditions  which  if  thou  accept,  I  will  give  thee 
ready  money,  and  if  thou  accept  not  I  will  return  her  to  thee." 
Quoth  the  Badawi,  "An  thou  wilt,  take  her  up  to  the  Sultan 
Sharrkan,  son  of  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  lord  of  Baghdad  and  of 
the  land  of  Khorasan,  and  condition  me  any  conditions  thou 
likest,  for  when  thou  hast  brought  her  before  King  Sharrkan,  haply 
she  will  please  him,  and  he  will  pay  thee  her  price  and  a  good 
profit  for  thyself  to  boot."  Rejoined  the  merchant,  "  It  happens 
that  I  have  just  now  something  to  ask  from  him,  and  it  is  this  that 
he  write  me  an  order  upon  the  office,  exempting  me  from  custom- 
dues  and  also  that  he  write  me  a  letter  of  recommendation  to  his 
father,  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman.  So  if  he  take  the  girl,  I  will 
weigh1  thee  out  her  price  at  once."  "  I  agree  with  thee  to  this 
condition,"  answered  the  Badawi.  So  they  returned  together  to 
the  place  where  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  was  and  the  wild  Arab  stood  at 
the  chamber  door  and  called  out,  saying,  "  O  Najiyah* !  "  which  was 
the  name  wherewith  he  had  named  her.  When  she  heard  him,  she 
wept  and  made  no  answer.  Then  he  turned  to  the  merchant  and 
said  to  him,  "  There  she  sitteth  ;  go  to  her  and  look  at  her  and 
speak  to  her  kindly  as  I  enjoined  thee."  So  the  trader  went  up  to 
her  in  courteous  wise  and  saw  that  she  was  wondrous  beautiful 
and  loveable,  especially  as  she  knew  the  Arabic  tongue ;  and  he 
said  to  the  Badawi,  "  If  she  be  even  as  thou  saidest,  I  shall  get  of 
the  Sultan  what  I  will  for  her."  Then  he  bespake  her,  "  Peace 
be  on  thee,  my  little  maid  !  How  art  thou  ?  "  She  turned  to  him 
and  replied,  "  This  also  was  registered  in  the  Book  of  Destiny." 
Then  she  looked  at  him  and,  seeing  him  to  be  a  man  of  respectable 
semblance  with  a  handsome  face,  she  said  to  herself,  "  I  believe  this 
one  cometh  to  buy  me  ;  "  and  she  continued,  "  If  I  hold  aloof  from 
him,  I  shall  abide  with  my  tyrant  and  he  will  do  me  to  death  with 
beating.  In  any  case,  this  person  is  handsome  of  face  and  maketh 
me  hope  for  better  treatment  from  him  than  from  my  brute  of  a 
Badawi.  May  be  he  cometh  only  to  hear  me  talk  ;  so  I  will  give 
him  a  fair  answer."  All  this  while  her  eyes  were  fixed  on  the 
ground  ;  then  she  raised  them  to  him  and  said  in  a  sweet  voice, 
"  And  upon  thee  be  peace,  O  my  lord,  and  Allah's  mercy  and  His 


1  This  mention  of  weighing  suggests  the  dust  of  Dean  Swift  and  the  money  of  tht 
Gold  Coast.  It  was  done,  I  have  said,  because  the  gold  coin,  besides  being  "sweated* 
was  soft  and  was  soon  worn  down. 

3  Fern,  of  Naj{  (a  deliverer,  a  saviour)  =  Salvadora. 

VOL.   II.  K 


146  A  If  Lay  la  h  wa  Lay  I  ah. 

benediction  !  *  This  is  what  is  commanded  of  the  Prophet,  whom 
Allah  bless  and  preserve !  As  for  thine  enquiry  how  I  am,  if  thou 
wouldst  know  my  case,  it  is  such  as  thou  wouldst  not  wish  but  to 
thy  foe."  And  she  held  her  peace.  When  the  merchant  heard 
what  she  said,  his  fancy  took  wings  for  delight  in  her  and,  turning 
to  the  Badawi,  he  asked  him,  "  What  is  her  price,  for  indeed  she 
is  noble  ? "  Thereupon  the  Badawi  waxed  angry  and  answered, 
*'Thou  wilt  turn  me  the  girl's  head  with  this  talk  !  Why  dost  thou 
say  that  she  is  noble,2  while  she  is  of  the  scum  of  slave-girls  and  of 
the  refuse  of  folk  ?  I  will  not  sell  her  to  thee  ! "  When  the  mer- 
chant heard  this,  he  knew  the  man  to  be  weak  of  wits  and  said  to 
him,  "  Calm  thyself,  for  I  will  buy  her  of  thee  with  these  blemishes 
thou  mentionest."  "  And  how  much  wilt  thou  give  me  for  her  ? " 
enquired  the  Badawi.  Replied  the  merchant,  "  Name  thy  price 
for  her :  none  should  name  the  son  save  his  sire."  Rejoined  the 
Badawi,  "  None  shall  name  it  but  thou  thyself."  Quoth  the  mer- 
chant to  himself,  "This  wildling  is  a  rudesby  and  a  maggotty  head. 
By  Allah,  I  cannot  tell  her  price,  for  she  hath  won  my  heart  with 
her  fair  speech  and  good  looks ;  and,  if  she  can  read  and  write,  it 
will  be  complete  fair  luck  to  her  and  to  her  purchaser.  But  this 
Badawi  does  not  know  her  worth."  Then  he  turned  and  said  to 
him,  "O  Shaykh  of  the  Arabs,  I  will  give  thee  in  ready  money, 
clear  of  the  tax  and  the  Sultan's  dues,  two  hundred  gold  pieces." 
Now  when  the  Badawi  heard  this,  he  flew  into  a  violent  rage  and 
cried  at  the  merchant,  saying,  "Get  up  and  go  thy  ways!  By 
Allah,  wert  thou  to  offer  me  two  hundred  dinars  for  the  bit  of 
camlet  she  weareth,  I  would  not  sell  it  to  thee.  And  now  I  will 
not  sell  her,  but  will  keep  her  by  me,  to  pasture  the  camels  and 
grind  my  grist."  And  he  cried  out  to  her,  saying,  "  Come  here, 
thou  stinkard  !  I  will  not  sell  thee."  Then  he  turned  to  the  mer- 
chant and  said  to  him,  "  I  used  to  think  thee  a  man  of  judgment ; 
but,  by  the  right  of  my  bonnet,  if  thou  begone  not  from  me,  I  will 
let  thee  hear  what  shall  not  please  thee ! "  Quoth  the  merchant 
to  himself,  "  Of  a  truth  this  Badawi  is  mad  and  knoweth  not  her 

1  This,  I  have  noted,  is  according  to  Koranic  command  (chapt.  iv.  88).     "  When  you 
are  saluted  with  a  salutation,  salute  the  person  with  a  better  salutation."     The  longer 
answer  to  "Peace  be  with  (or  upon)  thee !"  is  still  universally  the  custom.  The  "Salam" 
is  so  differently  pronounced  by  every  Eastern  nation  that  the  observant  traveller  will  easily 
make  of  it  a  Shibboleth. 

2  The  Badawi,  who  was  fool  as  well  as  rogue,  begins  to  fear  that  he  has  kidnapped  a 
girl  of  family. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       147 

value,  and  I  will  say  no  more  to  him  about  her  price  at  the  present 
time  ;  for  by  Allah,  were  he  a  man  of  sense,  he  would  not  say  : — 
By  the  rights  of  my  bonnet !  By  the  Almighty,  she  is  worth  the 
kingdom  of  the  Chosroes  and  i  have  not  her  price  by  me,  but  if  he 
ask  even  more,  I  will  give  him  what  he  will,  though  it  be  all  my 
goods."  Then  he  turned  and  said  to  him,  "O  Shaykh  of  the 
Arabs,  take  patience  and  calm  thyself  and  tell  me  what  clothes 
she  hath  with  thee  ? "  Cried  the  Badawi,  "  And  what  hath  the 
baggage  to  do  with  clothes  ?  By  Allah,  this  camlet  in  which  she 
is  wrapped  is  ample  for  her."  "  With  thy  leave,"  said  the  mer- 
chant, "I  will  unveil  her  face  and  examine  her  even  as  folk  examine 
slave-girls  whom  they  think  of  buying."  !  Replied  the  other,  "  Up 
and  do  what  thou  wilt  and  Allah  keep  thy  youth  !  Examine  her 
outside  and  inside  and,  if  thou  wilt,  strip  off  her  clothes  and  look 
at  her  when  she  is  naked."  Quoth  the  trader,  "Allah  forfend ! 
I  will  look  at  naught  save  her  face."  *  Then  he  went  up  to  her  and 

was  put  to  shame  by  her  beauty  and  loveliness, And  Shah- 

razad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted 
say. 

ilofo  tofjcn  it  teas  tfjc  Jfiftji.sebcntb  jltgftt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  merchant 
went  up  to  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  and  was  put  to  shame  by  her  beauty 
and  loveliness,  so  he  sat  by  her  side  and  asked  her,  "O  my  mistress, 
what  is  thy  name?  "  She  answered,  "Dost  thou  ask  what  is  my 
name  this  day  or  what  it  was  before  this  day  ? "  Thereupon  the 
merchant  enquired, "  Hast  thou  then  two  names:  to  day's  and  yester- 
day's? "  "  Yes,"  replied  she,  "  my  name  in  the  past  was  Nuzhat  al- 
Zaman,  the  Delight  of  the  Age;  but  my  name  at  this  present  is 
Ghussat3  al-Zaman,  the  Despight  of  the  Age."  When  the  merchant 
heard  this  his  eyes  brimmed  over  with  tears  and  quoth  he  to  her, 
44  Hast  thou  not  a  sick  brother  ? "  "Ay  by  Allah,  O  my  lord,  I  have," 
quoth  she,  "  but  fortune  hath  parted  me  and  him  and  he  lieth  sick 
in  Jerusalem."  The  merchant's  head  was  confounded  at  thesweet- 


1  These  examinations  being  very  indecent  are  usually  done  in  strictest  privacy.    The 
great  point  is  to  make  sure  of  virginity. 

2  This  is  according  to  strict  Moslem  law:  the  purchaser  may  not  look  at  the  girl'* 
nakedness  till  she  is  his,  and  he  ought  to  manage  matters  through  an  old  woman. 

3  Lit.  wrath  ;  affliction  which  chokes  ;  in  Hindustani  it  means  simply  anger. 


148  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

ness  of  her  speech  and  he  said  to  himself,  "  Verily,  the  Badawi 
spake  the  truth  of  her."  Then  she  called  to  mind  her  brother  and 
his  sickness  and  his  strangerhood  and  her  separation  from  him  in 
his  hour  of  weakness  and  her  not  knowing  what  had  befallen  him  ; 
and  she  thought  of  all  that  had  happened  to  her  with  the  Badawi 
and  of  her  severance  from  her  mother  and  father  and  native  land  ; 
and  the  tears  coursed  down  her  cheeks  and  fast  as  they  started 
they  dropped  ;  and  she  began  reciting : — 

Allah,  where'er  thou  be,  His  aid  impart  P  To    thee,    who    distant 

dwellest  in  my  heart  ! 
Allah  be  near  thee  how  so  far  thou  fare ;  o  Ward   off  all    shifts  of 

Time,  all  dangers  thwart ! 
Mine  eyes  are  desolate  for  thy  vanisht  sight,  »  And  start  my  tears— ah 

me,  how  fast  they  start ! 
Would  Heaven  I  kenned  what  quarter  or  what  land  o  Homes  thee,  and  in  what 

house  and  tribe  thou  art; 
An  fount  of  life  thou  drain  in  greenth  of  rose,        o  While  drink  I  tear-drops 

for  my  sole  desart  ? 
An  thou  'joy  slumber  in  those  hours,  when  I          o  Feel  'twixt  my  side  and 

couch  coals'  burning  smart  ? 
All  things  were  easy  save  to  part  from  thee,'          o  For  my  sad  heart  this 

grief  is  hard  to  dree. 

When  the  merchant  heard  her  verses,  he  wept  and  put  out  his  hand 
to  wipe  away  the  tears  from  her  cheeks ;  but  she  let  down  her  veil 
over  her  face,  saying,  "  Heaven  forbid,  O  my  lord  ! "  *  Then  the 
Badawi,  who  was  sitting  at  a  little  distance  watching  them,  saw  her 
cover  her  face  from  the  merchant  while  about  to  wipe  the  tears 
from  her  cheeks ;  and  he  concluded  that  she  would  have  hindered 
him  from  handling  her:  so  he  rose  and  running  to  her,  dealt  her,  with 
a  camel's  halter  he  had  in  his  hand,  such  a  blow  on  the  shoulders 
that  she  fell  to  the  ground  on  her  face.  Her  eyebrow  struck  a 
stone  which  cut  it  open,  and  the  blood  streamed  down  her  cheeks  ; 
whereupon  she  screamed  a  loud  scream  and  felt  faint  and  wept 
bitterly.  The  merchant  was  moved  to  tears  for  her  and  said  in 
himself,  "There  is  no  help  for  it  but  that  I  buy  this  damsel, 
though  at  her  weight  in  gold,  and  free  her  from  this  tyrant."  And 
he  began  to  revile  the  Badawi  whilst  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  lay  in- 
sensible. When  she  came  to  herself,  she  wiped  away  the  tears  and 
blood  from  her  face ;  and  she  bound  up  her  head :  then,  raising 

1  i.e.  Heaven  forbid  I  be  touched  by  a  strange  man. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.       149 

her  glance  to  heaven,  she  besought  her  Lord  with  a  sorrowful 
heart  and  began  repeating  : — 

And  pity  one  who  erst  in  honour  throve,  «  And  now  is  fallen  into 

sore  disgrace. 
She  weeps  and  bathes  her  cheeks  with  railing  tears,   o  And  asks  "  What  cure 

can  meet  this  fatal  case  ?  " 

When  she  had  ended  her  verse,  she  turned  to  the  merchant  and 
said  in  an  undertone,  "  By  the  Almighty,  do  not  leave  me  with  a 
tyrant  who  knoweth  not  Allah  the  Most  High !  If  I  pass  this 
night  in  his  place,  I  shall  kill  myself  with  my  own  hand :  save 
me  from  him,  so  Allah  save  thee  from  Gehenna-fire."  Then 
quoth  the  merchant  to  the  Badawi,  *4  O  Shaykh  of  the  Arabs,  this 
slave  is  none  of  thine  affair ;  so  do  thou  sell  her  to  me  for  what 
thou  wilt."  "  Take  her,"  quoth  the  Badawi,  "  and  pay  me  down 
her  price,  or  I  will  carry  her  back  to  the  camp  and  there  set  her  to 
feed  the  camels  and  gather  their  dung."  *  Said  the  merchant, 
"  I  will  give  thee  fifty  thousand  dinars  for  her."  "  Allah  will 
open!"2  replied  the  Badawi.  "Seventy  thousand,"  said  the  mer- 
chant. "  Allah  will  open !"  repeated  the  Badawi :  "  this  is  not  the 
capital  spent  upon  her,  for  she  hath  eaten  with  me  barley-bread  to 
the  value  of  ninety  thousand  gold  pieces."  The  merchant  rejoined, 
41  Thou  and  thine  and  all  thy  tribe  in  the  length  of  your  lives  have 
not  eaten  a  thousand  ducats'  worth  of  barley ;  but  I  will  say  thee 
one  word,  wherewith  if  thou  be  not  satisfied,  I  will  set  the  Viceroy 
of  Damascus  on  thee  and  he  will  take  her  from  thee  by  force." 
T*he  Badawi  continued,  "  Say  on ! "  "  An  hundred  thousand/' 
quoth  the  merchant.  "  I  have  sold  her  to  thee  at  that  price," 
answered  the  Badawi  ;  "  I  shall  be  able  to  buy  salt  with  her." 
The  merchant  laughed  and,  going  to  his  lodgings,  brought  the 
money  and  put  it  into  the  hand  of  the  Badawi,  who  took  it  and 
made  off,  saying  to  himself, "  Needs  must  I  go  to  Jerusalem  where, 
haply,  I  shall  happen  on  her  brother,  and  I  will  bring  him  here 
and  sell  him  also."  So  he  mounted  and  journeyed  till  he  arrived 
at  Jerusalem,  where  he  went  to  the  Khan  and  asked  for  Zau  al- 
Makan,  but  could  not  find  him.  Such  was  the  case  with  him ;  but 
for  what  regards  the  merchant  and  Nuzhat  al-Zaman,  when  he  took 


Used  for  fuel  and  other  purposes,  such  as  making  "Joss  stick." 
Arab.  "  Yaftah' Allah  "  the  offer  being  insufficient.      The  rascal  Is  greedy  as  a 
moreover  he  is  a  liar,  which  the  Badawi  is  Dot. 


150  A  If  Laylak  wa  Laylah. 

her  he  threw  some  of  his  clothes  over  her  and  carried  her  to  his 

lodgings" And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and 

ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


"Xofo  fo&cn  it  tons  t&c  Tsf$teanteJJ{fifet3  tffgftt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  the 
trader  saved  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  from  the  Badawi  and  bore  her  to 
his  lodgings  and  robed  her  in  the  richest  raiment,  he  went  down 
with  her  to  the  bazar,  where  he  bought  her  what  ornaments  she 
chose  and  put  them  in  a  satin  bag,  which  he  set  before  her,  saying, 
f<  All  is  for  thee  and  I  ask  nothing  of  thee  in  return  but  that,  when 
I  lead  thee  to  the  Sultan,  Viceroy  of  Damascus,  thou  acquaint  him 
with  the  price  I  paid  for  thee,  albeit  it  was  little  compared  with  thy 
value :  and,  if  seeing  thee  he  buy  thee  of  me,  thou  tell  him  how  I 
have  dealt  with  thee  and  ask  of  him  for  me  a  royal  patent,  and 
a  written  recommendation  wherewith  I  can  repair  to  his  father, 
King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  Lord  of  Baghdad,  to  the  intent  that 
he  may  forbid  the  tax  on  my  stuffs  or  any  other  goods  in  which  I 
traffic."  When  she  heard  his  words,  she  wept  and  sobbed,  and  the 
merchant  said  to  her,  "  O  my  lady,  I  observe  that,  every  time  I 
mention  Baghdad,  thine  eyes  are  tearful :  is  there  any  one  there 
whom  thou  lovest  ?  If  it  be  a  trader  or  the  like,  tell  me;  for  I 
know  all  the  merchants  and  so  forth  there  and,  if  thou  wouldst 
send  him  a  message,  I  will  bear  it  for  thee."  Replied  she, "  By 
Allah,  I  have  no  acquaintance  among  merchant-folk  and  the  like  ! 
I  know  none  there  but  King  Omar  bin  Nu'uman,  Lord  of  Bagh- 
dad." When  the  merchant  heard  her  words,  he  laughed  and 
rejoiced  with  exceeding  joy  and  said  in  himself,  "  By  Allah,  I 
have  won  my  wish ! "  Then  he  said  to  her,  "  Hast  thou  been 
shown  to  him  in  time  past  ? "  She  answered,  "  No,  but  I  was 
brought  up  with. his  daughter  and  he  holdeth  me  dear  and  I  have 
high  honour  with  him  ;  .so  if  thou  wouldst  have  the  King  grant 
thee  thy  desire,  give  me  ink-case  and  paper  and  I  will  write  thee  a 
letter ;  and  when  thou  reachest  the  city  of  Baghdad,  do  thou 
deliver  it  into  the  hand  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  say  to 
him : — Thy  handmaid,  Nuzhat  al-Zaman,  would  have  thee  to 
know  that  the  chances  and  changes  of  the  nights  and  days  have 
struck  her  as  with  a  hammer,  and  have  smitten  her  so  that  she 
hath  been  sold  from  place  to  place;  and  she  sendeth  thee  her 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al~Ni£uinan  and  his  Sons.       151 

salams.  And,  if  he  ask  further  of  her,  say  that  I  am  now  with 
the  Viceroy  at  Damascus."  The  merchant  wondered  at  her 
eloquence,  and  his  affection  for  her  increased  and  he  said  to  her, 
"  I  cannot  but  think  that  men  have  played  upon  thine  understand- 
ing and  sold  thee  for  money.  Tell  me,  dost  thou  know  the  Koran 
by  heart  ? "  "  Yes,"  answered  she  ;  "  and  I  am  also  acquainted 
with  philosophy  and  medicine  and  the  prolegomena  of  science 
and  the  commentaries  of  Galen,  the  physician,  on  the  canons  of 
Hippocrates ;  and  I  have  commented  him  and  I  have  read  the  Taz- 
kirah  and  have  commented  the  Burhan  ;  and  I  have  studied  the 
Simples  of  Ibn  Baytir,  and  I  have  something  to  say  of  the  canon 
of  Meccah,  by  Avicenna.  I  can  ree  riddles  and  can  solve  ambi- 
guities, and  discourse  upon  geometry  and  am  skilled  in  anatomy. 
I  have  read  the  books  of  the  Shdfi'f1  school  and  the  Traditions  of 
the  Prophet  and  syntax ;  and  I  can  argue  with  the  Olema  and 
discourse  of  all  manner  learning.  Moreover  I  am  skilled  in  logic 
and  rhetoric  and  arithmetic  and  the  making  of  talismans  and 
almanacs,  and  I  know  thoroughly  the  Spiritual  Sciences2  and  the 
times  appointed  for  religious  duties  and  I  understand  all  these 
branches  of  knowledge."  Then  quoth  she  to  the  merchant, "  Bring 
me  ink-case  and  paper,  that  I  write  thee  a  letter  which  shall  aid 
thee  on  thy  journey  to  Baghdad  and  enable  thee  to  do  without 
passports."  Now  when  the  merchant  heard  this,  he  cried  out, 
"  Brava !  Brava  ! 3  Then  O  happy  he  in  whose  palace  thou  shalt 
be ! "  Thereupon  he  brought  her  paper  and  ink-case  and  a  pen  of 
brass  and  bussed  the  earth  before  her  face  to  do  her  honour.  She 
took  a  sheet  and  handled  the  reed  and  wrote  therewith  these 
verses : — 

I  see  all  power  of  sleep  from  eyes  of  me  hath  flown  ;  o  Say,  did  thy  parting 

teach  these  eyne  on  wake  to  wone  ? 
What  makes  thy  memory  light  such  burnings  in  my  heart  ?  o  Hath  every  lover 

strength  such  memories  to  own  ? 
How  sweet  the  big- dropped  cloud  which  rained  on  summer-day  ;  o  'Tis  gone  ; 

and  ere  I  taste  its  sweets  afar  'tis  flown  : 


1  The  third  of  the  four  great  Moslem  schools  of  Theology,  taking  its  name  from  the 
Imam  al-Shaffi  (Mohammed  ibn  Idris)  who  died  in  Egypt  A.H.  204,  and  lice 

near  Cairo  (Sale's  Prel.  Disc.  sect.  viii.). 

2  The  Moslem  form  of  Cabbala,  or  transcendental  philosophy  of  the  Hebrews. 

3  Arab.  "  Bakh  "  the  word  used  by  the  Apostle  to  All  his  son-in-law.     It  is  the 
"Huge." 


152  A  If  Laylah  wa  Lay  la  h. 

\  pray  the  wind  with  windy  breath  to  bring  some  news  o  From  thee,  to  lover- 
wight  wi'  love  so  woe-begone  : 

Complains  to  thee  a  lover  of  all  hope  forlorn,  o  For  parting-pangs  can  break 
not  only  heart  but  stone. 

And  when  she  had  ended  writing  the  verses  she  continued, "  These 
words  are  from  her  who  saith  that  melancholy  destroyeth  her  and 
that  watching  wasteth  her ;  in  the  murk  of  whose  night  is  found 
no  light  and  darkness  and  day  are  the  same  in  her  sight.  She 
tosseth  on  the  couch  of  separation  and  her  eyes  are  blackened  with 
the  pencils  of  sleeplessness ;  she  watcheth  the  stars  arise  and  into 
the  gloom  she  strains  her  eyes  :  verily,  sadness  and  leanness  have 
consumed  her  strength  and  the  setting  forth  of  her  case  would  run 
to  length.  No  helper  hath  she  but  tears  and  she  reciteth  these 
verses : — 

No  ring-dove  moans  from  home  on  branch  in  morning  light,    o  But  shakes  my 

very  frame  with  sorrow's  killing  might : 
No  lover  sigheth  for  his  love  or  gladdeth  heart       o  To    meet    his    mate,  but 

breeds  in  me  redoubled  blight 
1  bear  my  plaint  to  one  who  has  no  ruth  for  me  ;    o  Ah  me,  how  Love  can  part 

man's  mortal  frame  and  sprite  !  " 

Then  her  eyes  welled  over  with  tears,  and  she  wrote  also  these 
two  couplets  : — 

"  Love  smote  my  frame  so  sore  on  parting  day,  o  That  severance  severed  sleep 

and  eyes  for  aye  • 
1  waxt  so  lean  that  I  am  still  a  man,  o  But  for  my  speaking,  thou  wouldst 

never  say." 

Then  she  shed  tears  and  wrote  at  the  foot  of  the  sheet,  "This 
cometh  from  her  who  is  far  from  her  folk  and  her  native  land,  the 
sorrowful-hearted  woman  Nuzhat  al-Zaman."  In  fine,  she  folded 
the  sheet  and  gave  it  to  the  merchant,  who  took  it  and  kissed  it 
and  understood  its  contents  and  exclaimed,  "  Glory  to  Him  who 

fashioned  thee!" And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day 

and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


Jiofo  fofjen  it  foas  t!je  ^tnc-anb-Jptftietj) 

She  said,  It  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Nuzhat  al-Zaman 
wrote  the  letter  and  gave  it  to  the  merchant ;  and  he  took  it  and 
read  it  and  understood  the  contents  and  exclaimed,  "  Glory  to 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuwnan  and  his  Sons.       \  53 

Him  who  fashioned  thee  ! "  Then  he  redoubled  his  kindness  and 
made  himself  pleasant  to  her  all  that  day  ;  and  when  night  came, 
he  sallied  out  to  the  bazar  and  bought  some  food,  wherewith  he 
fed  her ;  after  which  he  carried  her  to  the  Hammam  and  said  to 
the  bath-woman,  "  As  soon  as  thou  hast  made  an  end  of  washing 
her  head,  dress  her  and  send  and  let  me  know  of  it."  And  she 
replied  "  Hearing  is  obeying."  Meanwhile  he  fetched  food  and 
fruit  and  wax-candles  and  set  them  on  the  bench  in  the  outer 
room  of  the  bath ;  and  when  the  tire-woman  had  done  washing 
her,  she  dressed  her  and  led  her  out  of  the  bath  and  seated  her  on 
the  bench.  Then  she  sent  to  tell  the  merchant,  and  Nuzhat  al- 
Zaman  went  forth  to  the  outer  room,  where  she  found  the  tray 
spread  with  food  and  fruit.  So  she  ate  and  the  tire-woman  with 
her,  and  gave  the  rest  to  the  people  and  keeper  of  the  bath  Then 
she  slept  till  the  morning,  and  the  merchant  lay  the  night  in  a 
place  apart  from  her.  When  he  aroused  himself  from  sleep  he 
came  to  her  and  waking  her,  presented  her  with  a  shift  of  fine 
stuff  and  a  head-kerchief  worth  a  thousand  dinars,  a  suit  of  Turkish 
embroidery  and  walking  boots  purfled  with  red  gold  and  set  with 
pearls  and  gems.  Moreover,  he  hung  in  each  of  her  ears  a  circlet 
of  gold  with  a  fine  pearl  therein,  worth  a  thousand  dinars,  and 
threw  round  her  neck  a  collar  of  gold  with  bosses  of  garnet  and  a 
chain  of  amber  beads  that  hung  down  between  her  breasts  over 
her  navel.  Now  to  this  chain  were  attached  ten  balls  and  nine 
crescents,  and  each  crescent  had  in  its  midst  a  bezel  of  ruby,  and 
each  ball  a  bezel  of  balass:  the  value  of  the  chain  was  three 
thousand  dinars  and  each  of  the  balls  was  priced  at  twenty 
thousand  dirhams,  so  that  the  dress  she  wore  was  worth  in  all  a 
great  sum  of  money.  When  she  had  put  these  on,  the  merchant 
bade  her  adorn  herself,  and  she  adorned  herself  to  the  utmost 
beauty  ;  then  she  let  fall  her  fillet  over  her  eyes  and  she  fared 
forth  with  the  merchant  preceding  her.  But  when  folk  saw  her, 
all  wondered  at  her  beauty  and  exclaimed,  "  Blessed  be  Allah,  the 
most  excellent  Creator!  O  lucky  the  man  in  whose  house  she 
shall  be  ! "  And  the  trader  ceased  not  walking  (and  she  behind 
him)  till  they  entered  the  palace  of  Sultan  Sharrkan  ;  when  he 
sought  an  audience  and,  kissing  the  earth  between  his  hands,  said, 
"  O  auspicious  King,  I  have  brought  thee  a  rare  gift,  unmatched  in 
this  time  and  richly  gifted  with  beauty  and  with  good  qualities." 
Quoth  the  King,  "  Let  me  see  it."  So  the  merchant  went  out 
and  brought  her,  she  following  him  till  he  made  he/  stand  before 


i$4  Alf  Laylak  wa  Laylah. 

King  Sharrkan.  When  he  beheld  her,  blood  yearned  to  blood, 
though  she  had  been  parted  from  him  in  childhood  and  though 
he  had  never  seen  her,  having  only  heard  a  long  time  after  her 
birth  that  he  had  a  sister  called  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  and  a  brother 
Zau  al-Makan,  he  having  been  jealous  of  them,  because  of  the 
succession.  And  such  was  the  cause  of  his  knowing  little  about 
them.  Then,  having  placed  her  before  the  presence,  the  merchant 
said,  "  O  King  of  the  age,  besides  being  peerless  in  her  time  for 
beauty  and  loveliness,  she  is  also  versed  in  all  learning,  sacred 
and  profane,  including  the  art  of  government  and  the  abstract 
sciences."  Quoth  the  King  to  the  trader,  "Take  her  price, 
according  as  thou  boughtest  her,  and  go  thy  ways."  "  I  hear 
and  I  obey,'1  replied  the  merchant ;  "  but  first  write  me  a  patent, 
exempting  me  for  ever  from  paying  tithe  on  my  merchandise." 
Said  the  King,  I  will  do  this,  but  first  tell  me  what  price  thou 
paidest  for  her."  Said  the  merchant,  "  I  bought  her  for  an 
hundred  thousand  dinars,  and  her  clothes  cost  me  another  hun- 
dred thousand."  When  the  Sultan  heard  these  words,  he  declared, 
11 1  will  give  thee  a  higher  price  than  this  for  her; "  and,  calling  his 
treasurer,  said  to  him,  "  Pay  this  merchant  three  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand  ducats ;  so  will  he  have  an  hundred  and  twenty 
thousand  dinars  profit."  Thereupon  the  Sultan  summoned  the  four 
Kazis  and  paid  him  the  money  in  their  presence  and  then  he  said, 
"  I  call  you  to  witness  that  I  free  this  my  slave-girl  and  purpose 
to  marry  her,"  So  the  Kazis  wrote  out  the  deed  of  emancipation 
and  the  contract  of  marriage,  when  the  Sultan  scattered  much 
gold  on  the  heads  of  those  present ;  and  the  pages  and  the 
eunuchs  picked  up  this  largesse.  Then,  after  paying  him  his 
monies,  Sharrkan  bade  them  write  for  the  merchant  a  perpetual 
patent,  exempting  him  from  toll,  tax  or  tithe  upon  his  mer- 
chandise and  forbidding  each  and  every  in  all  his  government  to 
molest  him,  and  lastly  bestowed  on  him  a  splendid  dress  of 

honour. And    Shahrazad    perceived    the   dawn    of   day,  and 

ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


Jiofo  fofim  ft  foas  tje  full  S>ixtt£t!j 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  King 
Sharrkan  bade  them  write  for  the  merchant  a  mandate,  after 
paying  him  his  monies;  and  they  wrote  a  perpetual  patent% 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al~Nuyuman  and  his  Sons.       15$ 

exempting  him  from  the  tithe  upon  his  merchandise  and  forbid- 
ding any  in  his  government  to  molest  him  ;  and  lastly  bestowed 
upon  him  a  splendid  dress  of  honour.  Then  all  about  him  retired, 
and  none  remained  save  the  Kazis  and  the  merchant,  whereupon 
said  he  to  the  judges,  "  I  wish  you  to  hear  such  discourse  from  this 
damsel  as  may  prove  her  knowledge  and  accomplishments  in  all 
claimed  for  her  by  this  trader,  that  we  ascertain  the  truth  of  his 
assertions."  They  answered,  "  There  is  no  evil  in  that !  "  ;  and  he 
commanded  the  curtain  to  be  let  down  between  him  and  those 
with  him  and  the  maiden  and  those  with  her ;  and  the  women 
about  the  damsel  behind  the  curtains  began  to  wish  her  joy  and 
kiss  her  hands  and  feet,  when  they  learned  that  she  was  become 
the  King's  wife.  Then  they  came  round  her  and  took  off  her 
dresses  easing  her  of  the  weight  of  her  clothes  and  began  to 
look  upon  her  beauty  and  loveliness.  Presently  the  wives  of  the 
Emirs  and  Wazirs  heard  that  King  Sharrkan  had  bought  a  hand- 
maiden unmatched  for  her  beauty  and  learning  and  philosophy 
and  account-keeping,  and  versed  in  all  branches  of  knowledge  , 
that  he  had  paid  for  her  three  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
dinars,  and  that  he  had  set  her  free  and  had  written  a  marriage- 
contract  with  her  and  had  summoned  the  four  Kazis  to  make  trial 
of  her,  how  she  would  answer  all  their  questions  and  hold  disputa- 
tion with  them.  So  they  asked  leave  of  their  husbands  and  repaired 
to  the  palace  wherein  was  Nuzhat  al-Zaman.  When  they  came  in 
to  her,  they  found  the  eunuchs  standing  before  her ;  and,  as  soon 
as  she  saw  the  wives  of  the  Emirs  and  Wazirs  and  Grandees  of 
the  realm  coming  to  call  upon  her,  she  arose  to  them  on  her  feet 
and  met  them  with  courtesy,  her  handmaidens  standing  behind 
her,  and  she  received  them  saying,  "  Ye  be  welcome  !  "  The  while 
she  smiled  in  their  faces  so  as  to  win  their  hearts;  and  she  promised 
them  all  manner  of  good  and  seated  them  in  their  proper  stations, 
as  if  she  had  been  brought  up  with  them ;  so  all  wondered  at  her 
beauty  and  loveliness  and  said  to  one  another,  "  This  damsel  is 
none  other  than  a  Queen,  the  daughter  of  a  King."  Then  they  sat 
down,  magnifying  her  worth  and  said  to  her,  "  O  our  lady,  this  our 
city  is  illumined  by  thee,  and  our  country  and  abode  and  birth-place 
and  reign  are  honoured  by  thy  presence.  The  kingdom  indeed  is 
thy  kingdom  and  the  palace  is  thy  palace,  and  we  all  are  thy 
handmaids ;  so,  by  Allah,  do  not  shut  us  out  from  thy  favours  and 
from  the  sight  of  thy  beauty."  And  she  thanked  them  for  this.  All 
this  while  the  curtains  were  let  down  between  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  and 


156  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

the  women  with  her,  on  the  one  side,  and  King  Sharrkan  and  the 
four  Kazis  and  the  merchant  seated  by  him  on  the  other.  Presently 
King  Sharrkan  called  to  her  and  said,  "  O  Queen,  the  glory  of 
thine  age,  this  merchant  hath  described  thee  as  being  learned  and 
accomplished  ;  and  he  claimeth  that  thou  art  skilled  in  all  branches 
of  knowledge,  even  to  astrology :  so  let  us  hear  something  of  all 
this  he  hath  mentioned,  and  favour  us  with  a  short  discourse  on 
such  subjects.'*  She  replied,  saying  : — "  O  King,  to  hear  is  to  obey.1 
The  first  subjects  whereof  I  will  treat  are  the  art  of  goverment 
and  the  duties  of  Kings  and  what  behoveth  governors  of  command 
ments  according  to  religious  law,  and  what  is  incumbent  on  them 
in  respect  of  satisfactory  speech  and  manners.  Know  then,  O  King, 
that  all  men's  works  tend  either  to  religious  or  to  laical  life,  for 
none  attaineth  to  religion  save  through  this  world,  because  it  is  the 
best  road  to  futurily.  Now  the  works  of  this  world  are  not  ordered 
save  by  the  doings  of  its  people,  and  men's  doings  are  divided  into 
four  divisions,  government,  commerce,  husbandry  and  craftmanship. 
Now  government  requireth  perfect  administration  with  just  and 
true  judgment ;  for  government  is  the  pivot  of  the  edifice  of  the 
world,  which  world  is  the  road  to  futurity ;  since  Allah  Almighty 
hath  made  the  world  for  His  servants  as  viaticum  to  the  traveller 
for  the  attainment  of  his  goal  ;  and  it  befitteth  each  man  that  he 
receive  of  it  such  measure  as  shall  bring  him  to  Allah,  and  that  he 
follow  not  herein  his  own  mind  and  his  individual  lust.  If  folk 
would  take  of  worldly  goods  with  justice  and  equity,  all  cause  of 
contention  would  be  cut  off;  but  they  take  thereof  with  violence 
and  after  their  own  desires,  and  their  persistence  therein  giveth 
rise  to  contentions ;  so  they  have  need  of  the  Sultan,  that  he  do 
justice  between  them  and  order  their  affairs  ;  and,  if  the  King 
restrain  not  his  folk  from  one  another,  the  strong  will  drive  the 
weak  to  the  wall.  Hence  Ardes.hir2  saith,  Religion  and  Kingship 
be  twins ;  religion  is  a  hidden  treasure  and  the  King  is  its  keeper ; 
and  the  Divine  Ordinances  and  men's  intelligence  point  out  that  it 
behoveth  the  people  to  adopt  a  Sultan  who  shall  withhold  oppressor 
from  oppressed  and  do  the  weak  justice  against  the  strong  and 


1  Readers,  who  read  for  amusement,  will  do  well  to  "  skip  "  the  fadaises  of  this  highly 
educated  young  woman. 

2  There  are  three  Persian  Kings  of  this  name  (Artaxerxes)  which  means  "Flour  and 
milk,"  or  "  high  lion."    The  text  alludes  to  Ardeshir  Babegan,  so  called  because  he 
married  the  daughter  of  Babak  the  shepherd,  founder  of  the  Sassanides  in  A.D.  202. 
See  D'Herbelot,  and  the  Dabistan. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       157 

restrain  the  violence  of  the  proud  and  the  rebels  against  rule.  For 
know,  O  King,  that  according  to  the  measure  of  the  Sultan's  good 
morals,  even  so  will  be  the  time ;  as  saith  the  Apostle  of  Allah  (on 
whom  be  peace  and  salvation  !),  There  be  two  classes  who,  if  they 
be  good,  the  people  will  be  good  ;  and  if  they  be  bad,  the  people 
will  be  bad,  even  the  Olema  and  the  Emirs.  And  it  is  said  by  a 
certain  sage : — There  be  three  kinds  of  Kings,  the  King  of  the 
Faith,  the  King  who  protecteth  things  to  which  reverence  is  due, 
and  the  King  of  his  own  lusts.  The  King  of  the  Faith  obligcth 
his  subjects  to  follow  their  faith,  and  it  behoveth  he  be  the  most 
faithful,1  for  it  is  by  him  that  they  take  pattern  in  the  things  of  the 
Faith ;  and  it  becometh  the  folk  to  obey  him  in  whatso  he  com- 
mandeth  according  to  Divine  Ordinance ;  but  he  shall  hold  the 
discontented  in  the  same  esteem  as  the  contented,  because  of  sub- 
mission to  the  decrees  of  Destiny.  As  for  the  King  who  protecteth 
things  to  be  reverenced,  he  upholdeth  the  things  of  the  Faith  and 
of  the  World  and  compelleth  his  folk  to  follow  the  Divine  Law  and 
to  preserve  the  rights  of  humanity ;  and  it  fitteth  him  to  unite  Pen 
and  Sword ;  for  whoso  declineth  from  what  Pen  hath  written,  his 
feet  slip  and  the  King  shall  rectify  his  error  with  the  sharp  Sword 
and  dispread  his  justice  over  all  mankind.  As  for  the  King  of  his 
own  lusts,  he  hath  no  religion  but  the  following  his  desire  and,  as 
he  feareth  not  the  wrath  of  his  Lord  who  set  him  on  the  throne,  so 
his  Kingdom  inclineth  to  deposition  and  the  end  of  his  pride  is  in 
the  house  of  perdition.  And  sages  say,  The  King  hath  need  of 
many  people,  but  the  people  have  need  of  but  one  King  ;  wherefore 
it  beseemeth  that  he  be  well  acquainted  with  their  natures,  that 
he  reduce  their  discord  to  concord,  that  with  his  justice  he  en- 
compass them  all  and  with  his  bounties  overwhelm  them  all.  And 
know,  O  King,  that  Ardeshir,  styled  Jamr  Shadfd,  or  the  Live 
Coal,  third  of  the  Kings  of  Persia,  conquered  the  whole  world  and 
divided  it  into  four  divisions  and,  for  this  purpose,  gat  for  himself 
four  seal-rings,  one  for  each  division.  The  first  seal  was  that  of  the 
sea  and  the  police  of  prohibition  and  on  it  was  written,  Alterna- 
tives. The  second  was  the  seal  of  tribute  and  of  the  receipt  of 
monies,  and  on  it  was  written,  Building  up.  The  third  was  the 
seal  of  the  provisioning  department  and  on  it  was  written,  Plenty. 
The  fourth  was  the  seal  of  the  oppressed,  and  on  it  was  written, 


1  Alluding  to  the  proverb,  "Folk  follow  their  King's  faith,"    "Cujus  regio  ejiw 
religio,"  etc. 


1 58  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

Justice.  And  these  usages  remained  valid  in  Persia  until  the 
revelation  of  Al-Islam.  Chosroes  also  wrote  his  son,  who  was  with 
the  army: — Be  not  thou  too  open-handed  with  thy  troops,  or  they 

will  be  too  rich  to  need  thee." And  Shahrazad  perceived  the 

dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 

Nofo  foljen  ft  foas  ifte  Stag-first  TSTigfit, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Chosroes 
wrote  his  son  : — Be  not  thou  too  open-handed  with  thy  troops,  or 
they  will  be  too  rich  to  need  thee;  nor  be  thou  niggardly  with 
them,  or  they  will  murmur  against  thee.  Give  thy  giving  de- 
liberately and  confer  thy  favours  advisedly;  open  thy  hand  to 
them  in  time  of  success  and  stint  them  not  in  time  of  distress. 
There  is  a  legend  that  a  desert  Arab  came  once  to  the  Caliph 
Al-Mansur1  and  said,  Starve  thy  dog  and  he  shall  follow  thee. 
When  the  Caliph  heard  his  words,  he  was  enraged  with  the  Arab, 
but  Abu  '1-Abbas  of  Tus  said  to  him,  I  fear  that  if  some  other  than 
thou  should  show  him  a  scone,  the  dog  would  follow  him  and  leave 
thee  alone.  Thereupon  the  Caliph  Al-Mansur's  wrath  subsided  and 
he  knew  that  the  wild  Arab  had  intended  no  offence  and  ordered 
him  a  present.  And  know,  O  King,  that  Abd  al-Malik  bin  Marwan 
wrote  to  his  brother  Abd  al-Azfz,  when  he  despatched  him  to 
Egypt,  as  follows : — Pay  heed  to  thy  Secretaries  and  thy  Chamber- 
lains, for  the  Secretaries  will  acquaint  thee  with  established  matters 
and  the  Chamberlains  with  matters  of  official  ceremony,  whilst 
thine  expenditure  will  make  thy  troops  known  to  thee.  Omar  bin 
Al-Khattab2  (whom  Allah  accept ! )  when  engaging  a  servant  was 
in  the  habit  of  conditioning  him  with  four  conditions  ;  the  first  that 
he  should  not  ride  the  baggage-beasts,  the  second  that  he  should  not 
wear  fine  clothes,  the  third  that  he  should  not  eat  of  the  spoil  and  the 

1  Second  Abbaside,  A.H.  136-158  (=  754-775). 

2  The  celebrated  companion  of  Mohammed  who  succeeded  Abu  Bakr  in  the  Caliphate 
(A.  H.  13-23  =  634-644).    The  Sunnis  know  him  as  Al-Adil,  the  Just ;  and  the  Shiahs 
detest  him  for  his  usurpation,  his  austerity  and  harshness.     It  it  said  that  he  laughed 
once,  and  wept  once.     The  laugh  was  caused  by  recollecting  how  he  ate  his  dough-gods 
(the  idols  of  the  Hanifah  tribe)  in  The  Ignorance.     The  tears  were  drawn  by  remember- 
ing how  he  buried  alive  his  baby  daughter  who, .while  the  grave  was  being  dug,  patted 
away  the  dust  from  his  hair  and  beard.     Omar  was  doubtless  a  great  man,  but  he  is  one 
of  the  most  ungenial  figures  in  Moslem  history  which  does  not  abound  in  genialities.    To 
me  he  suggests  a  Puritan,  a  Covenanter  of  the  sourest  and  narrowest  type  ;  and  I  cannot 
wonder  that  the  Persians  abhor  him,  and  abuse  him  on  all  occasions. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       1 59 

fourth  that  he  should  not  put  off  praying  till  after  the  proper  period. 
It  is  said  that  there  is  no  wealth  more  profitable  than  understanding, 
and  there  is  no  understanding  like  common  sense  and  prudence, 
and  there  is  no  prudence  like  piety  ;  that  there  is  no  means  of  draw- 
ing near  to  God  like  good  morals,  no  measure  like  good  breeding,  no 
traffic  like  good  works  and  no  profit  like  earning  the  Divine  favour ; 
that  there  is  no  temperance  like  standing  within  the  limits  of  the 
law,  no  science  like  that  of  meditation,  no  worship  like  obeying  the 
Divine  commands,  no  faith  like  modesty,  no  calculation  like  self- 
abasement  and  no  honour  like  knowledge.  So  guard  the  head  and 
what  it  containeth  and  the  belly  and  what  it  compriseth ;  and  think 
of  death  and  doom  ere  it  ariseth.  Saith  Ali  (whose  face  Allah 
honour ! ),  Beware  of  the  wickedness  of  women  and  be  on  thy  guard 
against  them  :  consult  them  not  in  aught  j1  but  grudge  not  com- 
plaisance to  them,  lest  they  greed  for  intrigue.  And  eke  quoth  he, 
whoso  leaveth  the  path  of  moderation  his  wits  become  perplexed  ; 
and  there  be  rules  for  this  which  we  will  mention,  if  it  be  Allah's 
will.  And  Omar  (whom  Allah  accept !)  saith,  there  are  three 
kinds  of  women,  firstly  the  true-believing,  Heaven-fearing,  love-full 
and  fruit^full,  who  helpeth  her  mate  against  fate,  not  helping  fate 
against  her  mate ;  secondly,  she  who  loveth  her  children  but  no 
more  and,  lastly,  she  who  is  a  shackle  Allah  setteth  on  the  neck  of 
whom  He  will.  Men  be  also  three :  the  wise  when  he  exerciseth 
his  own  judgement ;  the  wiser  who,  when  befalleth  somewhat 
whereof  he  knoweth  not  the  issue,  seeketh  folk  of  good  counsel 
and  acteth  by  their  advice ;  and  the  unwise-irresolute  ignoring 
the  right  way  nor  heeding  those  who  would  guide  him  straight. 
Justice  is  indispensable  in  all  things ;  even  slave-girls  have  need  of 
justice;  and  men  quote  as  an  instance  highway  robbers  who  live 
by  violenting  mankind,  for  did  they  not  deal  equitably  among 
themselves  and  observe  justice  in  dividing  their  booty,  their  order 
would  fall  to  pieces.2  In  short,  for  the  rest,  the  Prince  of  noble 
qualities  is  Beneficence-cum-Benevolence ;  and  how  excellent  is 
the  saying  of  the  poet  :— 

By  open  hand  and  ruth  the  youth  rose  to  his  tribe's  command  ;  o  Go  and  do 
likewise  for  the  same  were  easy  task  to  thee- 


1  The  austere  Caliph  Omar  whose  scourge  was  more  feared  than  the  sword  was  the 
author  of  the  celebrated  saying  "  Consult  them  (fetninines)  and  do  clear  contrary-wUe.'* 
The  dictum  is  illustrated  by  a  dozen  Joe  Millers  known  throughout  the  East. 

2  Our  "honour  amongst  thieve*." 


160  A  If  Laylah  wa  Lay  1  ah. 

And  quoth  another: — 

In  ruth  and  mildness  surety  lies  and  mercy  wins  respect ;  o  And  Truth  is  best 

asylum  for  the  man  of  soothfast  soul : 
Whoso  for  wealth  of  gold  would  win  and  wear  the  world's  good  word,  o  On 

glory's  course  must  ever  be  the  first  to  gain  the  goal. 

And  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  discoursed  upon  the  policy  of  Kings  till 
the  bystanders  said,  "  Never  have  we  seen  one  reason  of  rule  and 
government  like  this  damsel  !  Haply  she  will  let  us  hear  some 
discourse  upon  subject  other  than  this."  When  she  heard  their 
words  and  understood  them  she  said,  "  As  for  the  chapter  of  good 
breeding,  it  is  wide  of  comprehension,  being  a  compend  of  things 
perfect.  Now  it  so  happened  that  one  day  there  came  to  the 
Caliph  Mu'awiyah1  one  of  his  companions,  who  mentioned  the 
people  of  Irak  and  the  goodness  of  their  wit ;  and  the  Caliph's 
wife  Maysun,  mother  of  Yezi'd,  heard  his  words.  So,  when  he  was 
gone,  she  said  to  the  Caliph : — O  Prince  of  the  Faithful,  I  would 
thou  let  some  of  the  people  of  Irak  come  in  and  talk  to  thee,  that 
I  may  hear  their  discourse.  Therewith  Mu'awiyah  said  to  his 
attendants,  See  who  is  at  the  door  ?  And  they  answered,  The 
Banu  Tamim.  Let  them  come  in,  said  he.  So  they  came  in  and 
with  them  Al-Ahnaf  son  of  Kays.2  Then  quoth  Mu'awiyah : — 
Enter,  O  Abu  Bahr,  and  drew  a  curtain  between  himself  and 
Maysun,  that  she  might  hear  what  they  said  without  being  seen 
herself;  then  he  said  to  Al-Ahnaf : — O  Son  of  the  Sea,  draw  near 
and  tell  me  what  counsel  thou  hast  for  me.  Quoth  Al-Ahnaf,  Part 
thy  hair  and  trim  thy  moustachio  and  pare  thy  nails  and  pluck 
thine  armpits  and  shave  thy  pubes3  and  ever  use  the  toothstick 


1  The  sixth  successor  of  Mohammed  and  founder  of  the  Banu  Umayyah  or  Ommiades, 
called  the  "sons  of  the  little  mother"  from  their  eponymus  (A.H.  41-60  =  661-680). 
For  his  Badawi  wife  Maysun,  and  her  abuse  of  her  husband,  see  Pilgrimage  iii.  262. 

3  Shaykh  of  the  noble  tribe,  or  rather  nation,  Banu  Tamfm  and  a  notable  of  the  day  £ 
surnamed,  uo  one  knows  why,  "  Sire  of  the  Sea." 

3  This  is  essential  for  cleanliness  in  hot  lands  :  however  much  the  bath  may  be  used, 
the  body-pile  and  lower  hair,  if  submitted  to  a  microscope,  will  show  more  or  less  sordes 
adherent.  The  axilla-hair  is  plucked  because  if  shaved  the  growing  pile  causes  itching 
and  the  depilatories  are  held  deleterious.  At  first  vellication  is  painful  but  the  skin 
becomes  used  to  it.  The  pecten  is  shaved  either  without  or  after  using  depilatories,  of 
which  more  presently.  The  body- pile  is  removed  by  "Takhfif";  the  Liban  Shami 
(Syrian  incense),  a  fir-gum  imported  from  Scio,  is  melted  and  allowed  to  cool  in  the  form 
of  a  pledget.  This  is  passed  over  the  face  and  all  the  down  adhering  to  it  is  pulled  up  by 
the  roots  (Burckhardt  No.  420).  Not  a  few  Anglo- Indians  have  adopted  these  precautions. 


Tale  of  King   Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       161 

because  therein  be  two-and-seventy  virtues,  and  make  the  Ghusl  or 
complete  ablution  on  Friday,  as  an  expiation  for  all  between  the 

Fridays. " And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased 

saying  her  permitted  say. 

Xoto  fo&en  (t  tons  tfoe  SWxtp.seconfc  Nfgfjt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Ahnaf 
bin  Kays  replied  to  Al-Mu'awiyah's *  question,  "And  ever  use 
the  tooothstick,  because  therein  be  two-and-seventy  virtues  and 
make  the  complete  Friday  ablution  as  an  expiation  for  all  between 
the  two  Fridays."  Quoth  Mu'awiyah,  "  What  is  thy  counsel  to 
thyself?"  "  To  set  my  feet  firmly  on  the  ground,  to  move  them 
deliberately  and  watch  over  them  with  mine  eyes  ! "  "  How  dost 
thou  order  thyself  when  thou  gocst  in  to  one  not  of  the  nobles  of 
thy  tribe  ?"  "I  lower  mine  eyes  modestly  and  I  salute  first ;  I 
avoid  what  concerneth  me  not  and  I  spare  my  words!"  "And 
how  when  thou  goest  in  to  thine  equals  ? "  "  I  give  ear  to  them 
when  they  speak  and  I  do  not  assail  them  when  they  err!" 
44  When  thou  goest  in  to  thy  chiefs  ? "  "  I  salute  without  making 
any  sign  and  await  the  reply :  if  they  bid  me  draw  near,  I  draw 
near;  and  if  they  draw  off  from  me  I  withdraw!"  "How  dost 
thou  with  thy  wife?"  Quoth  Ahnaf,  "  Excuse  me  from  answering 
this,  O  Commander  of  the  Faithful!";  but  Mu'awiyah  cried,  "I 
conjure  thee  inform  me."  He  said,  "I  entreat  her  kindly  and 
show  her  familiarity  and  am  large  in  expenditure,  for  woman  was 
created  of  a  crooked  rib."3  "And  how  dost  thou  when  thou  hast 
a  mind  to  lie  with  her?"  "I  bid  her  perfume  herself  and  kiss 
her  till  she  is  moved  to  desire ;  then,  should  it  be  as  thou  knowest,' 
I  throw  her  on  her  back.  If  the  seed  abide  in  her  womb  I  say: — 
O  Allah  make  it  blessed  and  let  it  not  be  a  wastrel,  but  fashion 
it  into  the  best  of  fashions !  *  Then  I  rise  from  her  to  ablution 

1  This  Caliph  was  a  tall,  fair,  handsome  man  of  awe-inspiring  aspect.  Omar  used  to 
look  at  him  and  say,  "  This  is  the  Caesar  of  the  Arabs,"  while  his  wife  called  him 
a4' fatted  ass." 

*  The  saying  is  attributed  to  Abraham  when  "  exercised  '*  by  the  unkindly  temper  of 
Sarah  ;  "woman  is  made  hard  and  crooked  like  a  rib ; "  and  the  modern  addition  is, 
*'  whoso  would  straighten  her,  breaketh  her." 

3  i.e.  "  When  ready  and  in  erection." 

4  "  And  do  first  (before  going  in  to  your  wives)  some  act  which  may  be  profitable  uoto 
your  souls" — or,  for  your  soul's  good.     (Koran,  chapt.  ii.  223.).     Hence  A.haa/  makes 
this  prayer. 

VOL.   UL 


162  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

and  first  I  pour  water  over  my  hands  and  then  over  my  body 
and  lastly,  I  praise  Allah  for  the  joy  He  hath  given  me."  Said 
Mu'awiyah,  '« Thou  hast  answered  right  well  and  now  tell  me 
what  be  thy  requirements  ? "  Said  Ahnaf,  "  I  would  have  thee 
rule  thy  subjects  in  the  fear  of  Allah  and  do  even-handed  justice 
between  them."  Thereupon  Ahnaf  rose  to  his  feet  and  left  the 
Caliph's  presence,  and  when  he  had  gone  Maysun  said,  "Were 
there  but  this  man  in  Irak,  he  would  suffice  to  it."  Then  con- 
tinued Nuzhat  al-Zaman,  "And  all  this  is  a  section  of  the  chapter 
of  good-breeding,  and  know  O  King,  that  Mu'aykib  was  inten- 
dant  of  the  public  treasury  during  the  Caliphate  of  Omar  bin 

al-Khattab," And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and 

ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


n  ft  teas  tfce  ftixtp-tjjirD  Nt'gfit, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Nuzhat  al- 
Zaman  continued,  "  Know,  O  King,  that  Mu'aykib  was  intendant 
of  the  public  treasury  during  the  Caliphate  of  Omar  bin  Al- 
Khattab;  and  it  so  befel  him  that  he  saw  Omar's  son  and  gave 
him  a  dirham  out  of  the  treasury.  Thereupon,  quoth  Mu'aykib,  I 
returned  to  my  own  house,  and  while  I  was  sitting  there  behold, 
a  messenger  came  to  me  from  Omar  and  I  was  afraid  and  went  to 
him,  and  when  I  came  into  his  presence,  in  his  hand  was  the 
dirham  T  had  given  his  son.  He  said  to  me,  Woe  to  thee, 
Mu'aykib  !  I  have  found  somewhat  concerning  thy  soul.  I  asked, 
And  what  is  that  ? ;  and  he  answered,  It  is  that  thou  hast  shown 
thyself  a  foe  to  the  followers  of  Mohammed  (on  whom  be  peace 
and  salvation !)  in  the  matter  of  this  dirham,  and  thou  wilt  have 
to  account  for  it  on  Resurrection  Day.1  And  Omar  also  wrote 
a  letter  to  Abu  Musd  al-Ashari2  as  follows: — When  these  presents 
reach  thee,  give  the  people  what  is  theirs  and  remit  to  me  the  rest. 
And  he  did  so.  Now  when  Othman  succeeded  to  the  Caliphate, 
he  wrote  a  like  letter  'to  Abu  Musa,  who  did  his  bidding  and  sent 


1  It  was  popularly  said  that  "  Truth-speaking  left  Omar  without  a  friend."  Entitled 
"  The  Just "  he  was  murdered  by  Abu  Luliiah,  alias  Firuz,  a  (Magian?)  slave  of  Al- 
Maghirah  for  denying  him  justice. 

'Governor    of   Bassorah    under    the    first    four    Caliphs.      See 
"Aschiru" 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nttuman  and  his  Sons.       163 

him  the  tribute  accordingly,  and  with  it  came  Ziyad.1  And  when 
Ziyad  laid  the  tribute  before  Othman,  the  Caliph's  son  came  in 
and  took  a  dirham,  whereupon  Ziyad  shed  tears.  Othman  asked 
Why  weepest  thou  ? ;  and  Ziyad  answered,  I  once  brought  Omar 
bin  Al-Khattab  the  like  of  this  and  his  son  took  a  dirham,  where- 
upon Omar  bade  snatch  it  from  his  hand.  Now  thy  son  hath  taken 
of  the  tribute,  yet  I  have  seen  none  say  aught  to  him  or  snatch 
the  money  from  him.  Then  Othman2  cried,  And  where  wilt  thou 
find  the  like  of  Omar  ?  Again  Zayd  bin  Aslam  relates  of  his  father 
that  he  said  : — I  went  out  one  night  with  Omar  till  we  approached 
a  blazing  fire.  Quoth  Omar,  O  Aslam,  I  think  these  must  be 
travellers  who  are  suffering  from  the  cold.  Come,  let  us  join  them. 
So  we  walked  on  till  we  came  to  them  and  behold !  we  found  a 
woman  who  had  lighted  a  fire  under  a  cauldron  and  by  her  side 
were  two  children,  both  a-wailing.  Said  Omar,  Peace  be  with  you, 
O  folk  of  light  (for  it  was  repugnant  to  him  to  say  'folk  of  fire'),* 
what  aileth  you  ?  Said  she,  The  cold  and  the  night  trouble  us. 
He  asked,  What  aileth  these  little  people  that  they  weep  ? ;  and 
she  answered,  They  are  hungry.  He  enquired,  And  what  is  in  this 
cauldron?;  and  she  replied,  It  is  what  I  quiet  them  withal,  and 
Allah  will  question  Omar  bin  Al-Khattab  of  them,  on  the  Day  of 
Doom.  He  said,  And  what  should  Omar  know  of  their  case  ? 
Why  then,  rejoined  she,  should  he  manage  people's  affairs  and  yet 
be  unmindful  of  them  ?  Thereupon  Omar  turned  to  me  (continued 


1  Ziyad  bin  Abi  Sufyan,  illegitimate  brother  of  the  Caliph  Mu'awiyah  afterwards 
f  overnor  of  Bassorah,  Cufa  and  Al-Hijaz. 

*  The  seditions  in  Kufah  were  mainly  caused  by  the  wilful  nepotism  of  Caliph  Othman 
bin  Asdkir  which  at  last  brought  about  his  death.  Mis  main  quality  seems  to  have  been 
personal  beauty  :  "never  was  seen  man  or  woman  of  fairer  face  than  he  and  he  was  the 
most  comely  of  men  :"  he  was  especially  famed  for  beautiful  teeth  which  in  old  age  he 
bound  about  with  gold  wire.  He  is  described  as  of  middling  stature,  large-limbed,  broad 
shouldered,  fleshy  of  thigh  and  long  in  the  fore-arm  which  was  hairy.  His  face  inclined 
to  yellow  and  was  pock-marked  ;  his  beard  was  full  and  his  curly  hair,  which  he  dyed 
yellow,  fell  below  his  ears.  He  is  called  "  writer  of  the  Koran  "  from  his  edition  of  the 
MS.,  and  "  Lord  of  the  two  Lights  "  because  he  married  two  of  the  Prophet's  daughters, 
Rukayyah  and  Umm  Kulthum  ;  and,  according  to  the  Shi'ahs  who  call  him  Othman- 
i-Lang  or  4<  limping  Othman,"  he  vilely  maltreated  them.  They  justify  his  death 
as  the  act  of  an  Ijmd'  al-Muslimfn,  the  general  consensus  of  Moslems  which  ratifies 
"  Lynch  law."  Altogether  Othman  is  a  mean  figure  in  history. 

5  "Na"r"  (fire)  is  a  word  to  be  used  delicately  from  its  connection  wjth  Gehenwu 
You  say,  e.g.  "  bring  me  a  light,  a  coal  (bassah)  "  etc.;  but  if  you  say  "  bring  me  fire  I'* 
the  enemy  will  probably  remark  "  He  wanteth  fire  even  before  his  time  1!*  The  slang 
expression  would  be  "  bring  the  sweet :  "  (Pilgrimage  i.  12 1.) 


164  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

Aslam)  and  cried,  Come  with  .us!  So  we  set  off  running  till  we 
reached  the  pay-department  of  his  treasury,  where  he  took  out  a 
sack  containing  flour  and  a  pot  holding  fat  and  said  to  me,  Load 
these  on  my  back  !  Quoth  I,  O  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  I  will 
carry  them  for  thee.  He  rejoined,  Wilt  thou  bear  my  load  for  me 
on  the  Day  of  Resurrection  ?  So  I  put  the  things  on  his  back, 
and  we  set  off,  running,  till  we  threw  down  the  sack  hard  by  her. 
Then  he  took  out  some  of  the  flour  and  put  it  in  the  cauldron  ; 
and,  saying  to  the  woman,  Leave  it  to  me,  he  began  blowing  the 
fire  under  the  cauldron.  Now  he  was  a  long-bearded  man  *  and  I 
saw  the  smoke  issuing  from  between  the  hairs  of  his  beard  till  the 
flour  was  cooked,  when  he  took  some  of  the  fat  and  threw  it  in  and 
said  to  the  woman,  Feed  them  while  I  cool  it  for  them.  So  they 
.fell  to  eating  till  they  had  eaten  their  fill,  and  he  left  the  rest  with 
'her.  Then  he  turned  to  me  and  said,  O  Aslam,  I  see  it  was  indeed 
hunger  made  them  weep  ;  and  I  am  glad  I  did  not  go  away  ere  I 

found  out  the  cause  of  the  light  I  saw." And  Shahrazad  per- 

,ceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


Noto  tojm  it  fcoas  tfje  Sfrtg-fourtf) 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Nuzhat  al- 
Zaman  continued,  "  It  is  related  that  Omar  passed  by  a  flock  of 
sheep,  kept  by  a  Mameluke,  and  asked  him  to  sell  him  a  sheep. 
He  answered,  They  are  not  mine.  Thou  art  the  man  I  sought^ 
said  Omar,  and  bought  him  and  freed  him  ;  whereupon  the  slave 
exclaimed,  O  Allah,  as  thou  hast  bestowed  on  me  the  lesser  eman- 


1  Omar  is  described  as  a  man  of  fair  complexion,  and  very  ruddy,  but  he  waxed 
tawny  with  age,  when  he  also  became  bald  and  grey.  He  had  little  hair  on  the  cheeks 
but  a  long  mustachio  with  reddish  ends.  In  stature  he  overtopped  the  people  and  was 
stout  as  he  was  tall.  A  popular  saying  of  Mohammed's  is,  "All  (very)  long  men  are 
, fools  save  Omar,  and  all  (very)  short  men  are  knaves  save  Ali."  The  Persians,  who 
abhor  Omar,  compare  every  lengthy,  ungainly,  longsome  thing  with  him;  they  will 
*ay,  "This  road  never  ends,  like  the  entrails  of  Omar."  We  know  little  about  Ali's 
appearance  except  that  he  was  very  short  and  stout,  broad  and  full-bellied  with  a  tawny 
complexion  and  exceedingly  hairy,  his  long  beard,  white  as  cotton  filling  all  the  space 
(between  his  shoulders.  He  was  a  "pocket-Hercules,"  and  incredible  tales,  like  that 
about  the  gates  of  Khaybar,  are  told  of  his  strength.  Lastly,  he  was  the  only  Caliph 
-who  bequeathed  anything  to  literature  :  his  "  Cantiloquium  "  is  famous  and  he  has  left, 
more  than  one  mystical  and  prophetic  work.  See  Ockley  for  his  "  Sentences  "  and, 
[D'Herbelqt  s.  v.  "  Ali "  and  "  Gebr."  Ali  is  a  noble  figure  in  Moslem  history. 


of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  kis  Sons.       i6$( 

cipation  ;  so  vouchsafe  me  the  greater ! '      It  is  also  said  that 
Omar  bin  Al-Khattab  was  wont  to  give  his  servants  sweet  milk 
and  himself  eat  coarse  fare,  and  to  clothe  them  softly  and  himself 
wear  rough  garments.     He  rendered  unto  all  men  their  due,  and 
exceeded  in  his  giving  to  them.     He  once  gave  a  man  four  thousand 
dirhams  and  added  thereto  a  thousand,  wherefore  it  was  said  to- 
him,  Why  dost  thou  not  increase  to  thy  son  as  thou  increasest  to 
this  man  ?      He  answered,  This  man's  father  stood  firm  at  the 
battle-day  of  Ohod.2      Al- Hasan  relates  that   Omar  once  came 
back  from  foray  with  much  money,  and  that  Hafsah  s  approached 
him  and  said,  O  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  the  due  of  kinship  1 
O  Hafsah !  replied  he,  verily  Allah  hath  enjoined  us  to  satisfy  the 
dues  of  kinship,  but  not  with  the  monies  of  the  True  Believers. 
Indeed,  thou   pleasest  thy  family,  but  thou  angerest  thy  father. 
And  she  went  away  trailing  her  skirts.4      The  son  of  Omar  said,  I 
implored  the  Lord  to  show  me  my  father  one  year  after  his  death, 
till  at  last  I  saw  him  wiping  the  sweat  from  his  brow  and  asked 
him,  How  is  it  with  thee,  O  my  father  ?     He  answered,  But  for  my 
Lord's  mercy  thy  father  surely  had  perished."     Then  said  Nuzhat 
al-Zaman,  "  Hear,  O  auspicious  King,  the  second  division  of  the  first 
chapter  of  the  instances  of  the  followers  of  the  Apostle  and  other 
holy  men.     Saith  Al-Hasan  al-Basri,5  Not  a  soul  of  the  sons  of 
Adam  goeth  forth  of  the  world  without  regretting  three  things, 
failure  to  enjoy  what  he  hath  amassed,  failure  to  compass  what  he 
hoped,  failure  to  provide  himself  with  sufficient  viaticum  for  that 
whereto  he  goeth.6     It  was  said  to  Sufyan,7  Can  a  man  be  a  reli- 
gious and  yet  possess  wealth  ?     He  replied,  Yes,  so  he  be  patient 
when  grieved  and  be  thankful  when  he  hath  received.     Abdullah 
bin  Shadddd,  being  about  to  die,  sent  for  his  son  Mohammed  and 
admonished  him,  saying,  O  my  son,  I  see  the  Summoner  of  Death 


1  The  emancipation  from  the  consequences  of  his  sins ;  or  it  may  mean  a  holy  death. 

*  Battle  fought  near  Al-Medinah  A.D.  625.    The  word  is  derived  from  "Ahad" 
(one).     I  have  described  the  site  in  my  Pilgrimage,  vol.  ii.  227. 

9  "  Haphsa  "  in  older  writers;  Omar's  daughter  and  one  of  Mohammed's  wives, 
famous  for  her  connection  with  the  manuscripts  of  the  Koran.  From  her  were  (or 
claimed  to  be)  descended  the  Hafsites  who  reigned  in  Tunis  and  extended  their  power 
far  and  wide  over  the  Maghrib  (Mauritania),  till  dispossessed  by  the  Turks. 

4  i.e.  humbly  without  the  usual  strut  or  swim  :  it  corresponds  with  the  biblical  walking 
or  going  softly  (i  Kings  xxi.  27  ;  Isaiah  xxxviii.  15,  etc.)- 

*  A  theologian  of  the  seventh  and  eighth  centuries. 

6  i.i.  to  prepare  himself  by  good  works,  especially  alms-giving,  for  the  next  world, 
1  A  theologian  of  the  eighth  century. 


1 66  A  If  Laylak  wa  Laylah. 

summoning  me,  and  so  I  charge  thee  to  fear  Allah  both  in  public 
and  private,  to  praise  Allah  and  to  be  soothfast  in  thy  speech,  for 
such  praise  bringeth  increase  of  prosperity,  and  piety  in  itself  is 
the  best  of  provision  for  the  next  world  ;  even  as  saith  one  of  the 
poets : — 

I  see  not  happiness  lies  in  gathering  gold ;     o  The  man  most  pious  is  man 

happiest : 
In  truth  the  fear  of  God  is  best  of  stores,         o  And  God  shall  make  the  piout 

choicely  blest. 

Then  quoth  Nuzhat  al-Zaman,  "  Let  the  King  also  give  ear  to 
these  notes  from  trie  second  section  of  the  first  chapter."  He 
asked  her  what  be  they  ? ;  and  she  answered,  "  When  Omar  bin 
Abd  al-Aziz1  succeeded  to  the  Caliphate,  he  went  to  his  household 
and  laying  hands  on  all  that  was  in  their  hold,  put  it  into  the 
public  treasury.  So  the  Banu  Umayyah  flew  for  aid  to  his  father's 
sister,  Fatimah,  daughter  of  Marwan,  and  she  sent  to  him  saying, 
I  must  needs  speak  to  thee.  So  she  came  to  him  by  night  and, 
when  he  had  made  her  alight  from  her  beast  and  sit  down,  he  said 
to  her,  O  aunt,  it  is  for  thee  to  speak  first,  since  thou  hast  some- 
thing to  ask :  tell  me  then  what  thou  wouldst  with  me.  Re- 
plied she,  O  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  it  is  thine  to  speak  first, 
for  thy  judgment  perceiveth  that  which  is  hidden  from  the  intelli- 
gence of  others.  Then  said  Omar,  Of  a  verity  Allah  Almighty 
sent  Mohammed  as  a  blessing  to  some  and  a  bane  to  others ;  and 
He  elected  for  him  those  with  him,  and  commissioned  him  as  His 

Apostle  and  took  him  to  Himself," And  Shahrazad  perceived 

the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


Koto  fo&en  it  foas  tfje  £fxtg=fifti) 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Nuzhat 
al-Zaman  continued  thus,  "  Said  Omar,  Verily  Allah  commissioned 
as  His  Apostle  Mohammed  (upon  whom  be  the  benediction  of 
Allah  and  His  salvation !),  for  a  blessing  to  some  and  a  bane  to 
Bothers;  and  He  elected  for  him  those  with  him  and  took  him  to 

1  Abd  ai^Aziz  was  eighth  Ommiade  (regn.  A.H.  99  =  717)  and  the  fifth  of  the  ortho- 
dox, famed  for  a  piety  little  known  to  his  house.  His  most  celebrated  saying  was,  "  Be 
constant  in  meditation  on  death  :  if  thou  be  in  straitened  case  'twill  enlarge  it,  and  if  in 
affluence  'twill  straiten  it  upon  thee."  He  died,  poisoned,  it  is  said,  in  A.H.  IOI. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.       167 

Himself,  leaving  the  people  a  stream  whereof  they  might  drink. 
After  him  Abu  Bakr »  the  Truth-teller  became  Caliph  and  he  left 
the  river  as  it  was,  doing  what  was  pleasing  to  Allah.  Then  arose 
Omar  and  worked  a  work  and  strove  in  holy  war  and  strife  whereof 
none  might  do  the  like.  But  when  Othman  arose  to  power  he 
diverted  a  streamlet  from  the  stream,  and  Mu'awiyah  in  his  turn. 
diverted  from  it  several  streamlets ;  and  without  ceasing  in  like 
manner,  Yezid  and  the  Banu  Marwdn  such  as  Abd  al-Malik  and 
Walid  and  Sulaymdn  2  drew  away  water  from  the  stream,  and  the 
main  course  dried  up,  till  rule  devolved  upon  me,  and  now  I  am 
minded  to  restore  the  stream  to  its  normal  condition.  When 
Fatimah  heard  this,  she  said,  I  came  wishing  only  to  speak  and 
confer  with  thee,  but  if  this  be  thy  word,  I  have  nothing  to  say  to 
thee.  Then  she  returned  to  the  Ommiades  and  said  to  them,  Now 
take  ye  the  consequences  of  your  act  when  ye  allied  yourselves  by 
marriage  with  Omar  bin  Al-Khattab  s  "  And  it  is  also  said  that 
when  Omar  was  about  to  die,  he  gathered  his  children  round  him, 
and  Maslamah 4  bin  Abd  al-Malik  said  to  him,  O  Prince  of  the 
Faithful,  how  wilt  thou  leave  thy  children  paupers  and  thou  their 
protector  ?  None  can  hinder  thee  in  thy  lifetime  from  giving  them 
what  will  suffice  them  out  of  the  treasury  ;  and  this  indeed  were 
better  than  leaving  the  good  work  to  him  who  shall  rule  after  thee. 
Omar  looked  at  him  with  a  look  of  wrath  and  wonder  and 
presently  replied,  O  Maslamah,  I  have  defended  them  from  this 
sin  all  the  days  of  my  life,  and  shall  I  make  them  miserable  after 
my  death  ?  Of  a  truth  my  sons  are  like  other  men,  either 
obedient  to  Almighty  Allah  who  will  prosper  them,  or  disobedient 
and  I  will  not  help  them  in  their  disobedience.  Know,  O  Maslamah, 


1  Abu  Bakr  originally  called  Abd  aMCa'ahah  (slave  of  the  Ka'abah)  took  the  name  of 
Abdullah  and  was  surnamed  Abu  Bakr  (father  of  the  virgin)  when  Mohammed,  who 
before  had  married  only  widows,  took  to  wife  his  daughter,  the  famous  or  infamous 
Ayishah.  "  Bikr  "  is  the  usual  form,  but  "  Bakr,"  primarily  meaning  a  young  ca»el,  is 
metaphorically  applied  to  human  youth  (Lane's  Lex.  s.  v.).  The  first  Caliph  was  a 
cloth-merchant,  like  many  of  the  Meccan  chiefs.  He  is  described  as  very  fair  with 
bulging  brow,  deep-set  eyes  and  thin-cheeked,  of  slender  build  and  lean-loined,  stooping 
and  with  the  backs  of  his  hands  fleshless.  He  used  tinctures  of  Henna  and  Katam  for 
his  beard.  The  Persians  who  hate  him,  call  him  ••  Pir-i-Kaftar,"  the  old  she-hyaena, 
and  believe  that  he  wanders  about  the  deserts  of  Arabia  in  perpetual  rot  which  the 
males  must  satisfy. 

3  The  second,  fifth,  sixth  and  seventh  Ommiades. 

3  The  mother  of  Omar  bin  Abd  al-Aziz  was  a  granddaughter  of  Omar  bin  Al-Khattab. 

4  Brother  of  this  Omar's  successor,  Yezid  II. 


1 68  A  If  Lay  la  ft  wa  Laylah. 

that  I  was  present,  even  as  thou,  when  such  an  one  of  the  sons  of 
Marwan  was  buried,  and  I  fell  asleep  by  him  and  saw  him  in  a 
dream  given  over  to  one  of  the  punishments  of  Allah,  to  whom 
belong  Honour  and  Glory !  This  terrified  me  and  made  me 
tremble,  and  I  vowed  to  Allah,  that  if  ever  I  came  to  power,  I 
would  not  do  such  deeds  as  the  dead  man  had  done.  I  have  striven 
to  fulfil  this  vow  all  the  length  of  my  life  and  I  hope  to  die  in  the 
mercy  of  my  Lord.  Quoth  Maslamah  : — A  certain  man  died  and 
I  was  present  at  his  burial,  and  when  all  was  over  I  fell  asleep  and 
I  saw  him  as  a  sleeper  seeth  a  dream,  walking  in  a  garden  of 
flowing  waters  clad  in  white  clothes.  He  came  up  to  me  and  said  : 

0  Maslamah,  it  is  for  the  like  of  this  that  rulers  should  rule. 
Many  are  the  instances  of  this  kind,  and  quoth  one  of  the  men  of 
authority,  I  used  to  milk  the  ewes  in  the  Caliphate  of  Omar  bin 
Abd  al-Aziz,  and  one  day  I  met  a  shepherd,  among  whose  sheep 

1  saw  a  wolf  or  wolves.     I  thought  them  to  be  dogs,  for  I  had 
never  before  seen  wolves  ;  so  I  asked,  What  dost  thou  with  these 
dogs  ?     They  are  not  dogs,  but  wolves,  answered  the  shepherd. 
Quoth  I,  Can  wolves  be  with  sheep  and  not  hurt  them  ?     Quoth  he, 
When  the  head  is  whole,  the  body  is  whole.1     Omar  bin  Abd 
al-Aziz  once  preached  from  a  pulpit  of  clay  and,  after  praising  and 
glorifying  Allah  Almighty,  said  three  words  as  follows,  O  folk, 
make  clean  your  inmost  hearts,  that  your  outward  lives  may  be 
clean  to  your  brethren,  and  abstain  ye  from  the  things  of  the  world. 
Know  that  between  us  and  Adam  there  is  no  one  man  alive  among 
the  dead.     Dead  are  Abd  al-Malik  and  those  who  forewent  him, 
and  Omar  also  shall  die  and   those  who  forewent  him.     Asked 
Maslamah,  O  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  an  we  set  a  pillow 
behind   thee,  wilt   thou   lean   on   it   a   little  while  ?     But   Omar 
answered,  I  fear  lest  it  be  a  fault  about  my  neck  on  Resurrection 
Day.     Then  he  gasped  with  the  death  rattle  and  fell  back  in  a 
faint ,'  whereupon  Fatimah  cried  out,  saying,  Ho,  Maryam !    Ho, 
Muzahim ! 2     Ho,  such  an  one !     Look  to  this   man  !     And  she 
began  to  pour  water  on  him  weeping,  till  he  revived  from  his 
swoon ;  and,  seeing  her  in  tears  said  to  her,  What  causeth  thee  to 
weep,  O  Fatimah  ?     She  replied,  O  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  I 
saw  thee  lying  prostrate  before  us  and  thought  of  thy  prostration 
in  death  before  Almighty  Allah,  of  thy  departure  from  the  world 

1  So  the  Turkish  proverb  "  The  fish  begins  to  stink  at  the  head." 
7  Calling  to  the  slaves. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       169 

and  of  thy  separation  from  us.  This  is  what  made  me  weep. 
Answered  he,  Enough,  O  Fatimah,  for  indeed  thou  exceedest. 
Then  he  would  have  risen,  but  fell  down  and  Fatimah  strained  him 
to  her  and  said,  Thou  art  to  me  as  my  father  and  my  mother,  O 
Commander  of  the  Faithful !  We  cannot  speak  to  thee,  all  of  us." 
Then  quoth  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  to  her  brother  Sharrkan  and  the 
four  Kazis,  "  Here  endeth  the  second  section  of  the  first  chapter." 

And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say 

her  permitted  say. 


Noto  foljcn  it  foas  tlje  5bixtv>--st.xtlj  Xialjt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Nuzhat 
al-Zaman  said  to  her  brother  Sharrkan  and  the  four  Kazis,  "  Here 
endeth  the  second  section  of  the  first  chapter.  And  it  so  happened 
that  Omar  bin  Abd  al-Aziz  wrote  to  the  people  of  the  festival  at 
Meccah  as  follows : — I  call  Allah  to  witness,  in  the  Holy  Month,  in 
the  Holy  City  and  on  the  day  of  the  Greater  Pilgrimage,1  that  I 
am  innocent  of  your  oppression  and  of  his  wrongs  that  doth  wrong 
you,  in  that  I  have  neither  commanded  this  nor  purposed  it,  neither 
hath  any  report  of  aught  thereof  hitherto  reached  me,  nor  have  I 
compassed  any  knowledge  thereof;  and  I  trust  that  a  cause  for 
pardon  will  be  found  in  that  none  hath  authority  from  me  to 
oppress  any  man,  for  I  shall  assuredly  be  questioned  concerning 
every  one  opprest.  And  if  any  of  my  officers  swerve  from  the 
right  and  act  otherwise  than  the  Holy  Book  and  the  Traditions  of 
the  Apostle  do  authorise,  obey  him  not  so  that  he  may  return  to 
the  way  of  righteousness.  He  said  also  (Allah  accept  of  him !),  I 
do  not  wish  to  be  relieved  from  death,  because  it  is  the  supreme 
thing  for  which  the  True  Believer  is  rewarded.  Quoth  one  of 


1  When  the  "  Day  of  Arafat  "  (9th  of  Zu'1-Hijjah)  falls  upon  a  Friday.  For  this 
Hajj  al-Akbar  see  my  Pilgrimage  iii.  226.  It  is  often  confounded  by  writers  (even  by 
the  learned  M.  Caussin  de  Perceval)  with  the  common  Pilgrimage  as  opposed  to  the 
Umrah,  or  "Lesser  Pilgrimage  "  (ibid.  iii.  342,  etc.).  The  latter  means  etymologically 
cohabiting  with  a  woman  in  her  father's  house  as  opposed  to  'Ars  or  leading  her  to  the 
husband's  home  :  it  is  applied  to  visiting  Meccah  and  going  through  all  the  pilgrim-rites 
but  not  at  the  Pilgrimage-season.  Hence  its  title  "  Hajj  al-Asghar"  the  "  Lesser  Hajj." 
But  "  Umrah  "  is  also  applied  to  a  certain  ceremony  between  the  hills  Safa  (a  large  hard 
rock)  and  Marwah  (stone  full  of  flints),  which  accompanies  the  Hajj  and  which  I  have 
described  (ibid.  iii.  344).  At  Meccah  I  also  heard  of  two  places  called  Al-Umrah,  the 
Greater  in  the  Wady  Fatimah  and  the  Lesser  half  way  nearer  the  city  (ibid.  iii.  344)- 


'70  A  If  Lay  la  k  wa  Laylah. 

authority,  I  went  to  the  Prince  of  the  Faithful,  Omar  bin  Abd  al- 
Aziz,  who  was  then  Caliph,  and  saw  before  him  twelve  dirhams, 
which  he  ordered  for  deposit  in  the  public  treasury.  So  I  said  to 
him,  O  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  thou  impoverishest  thy  chil- 
dren and  reducest  them  to  beggary  having  nothing  whereon  to 
live.  An  thou  wouldst  appoint  somewhat  by  will  to  them  and  to 
those  who  are  poor  of  the  people  of  thy  house,  it  were  well.  Draw 
near  to  me,  answered  he  :  so  I  drew  near  to  him  and  he  said, 
Now  as  for  thy  saying,  Thou  beggarest  thy  children ;  provide  for 
them  and  for  the  poor  of  thy  household,  it  is  without  reason ;  for 
Allah  of  a  truth  will  replace  me  to  my  children  and  to  the  poor  of 
my  house,  and  He  will  be  their  guardian.  Verily,  they  are  like 
other  men ;  he  who  feareth  Allah,  right  soon  will  Allah  provide 
for  him  a  happy  issue,  and  he  that  is  addicted  to  sins,  I  will  not  up- 
hold him  in  his  sin  against  Allah.  Then  he  summoned  his  sons  who 
numbered  twelve,  and  when  he  beheld  them  his  eyes  dropped  tears 
and  presently  he  said  to  them,  Your  Father  is  between  two  things ; 
either  ye  will  be  well  to  do,  and  your  parent  will  enter  the  fire,  or 
ye  will  be  poor  and  your  parent  will  enter  Paradise;  and  your 
father's  entry  into  Paradise  is  liefer  to  him  than  that  ye  should  be 
well  to  do.1  So  arise  and  go,  Allah  be  your  helper,  for  to  Him  I 
commit  your  affair !  Khalid  bin  Safwan  2  said,  Yusuf  bin  Omar 3 
accompanied  me  to  Hisham  bin  Abd  al-Malik,4  and  as  I  met  him 
he  was  coming  forth  with  his  kinsmen  and  attendants.  He  alighted 
and  a  tent  was  pitched  for  him.  When  the  people  had  taken  their 
seats,  I  came  up  to  the  side  of  the  carpet  whereon  he  sat  reclining 
and  looked  at  him  ;  and,  waiting  till  my  eyes  met  his  eyes,  bespoke 
him  thus,  May  Allah  fulfil  His  bounty  to  thee,  O  Commander  of 
the  Faithful,  I  have  an  admonition  for  thee,  which  hath  come  down 
to  us  from  the  history  of  the  Kings  preceding  thee !  At  this,  he 

1  A  fair  specimen  of  the  unworthy  egoism  which  all  religious  systems  virtually  incul- 
cate. Here  a  pious  father  leaves  his  children  miserable  to  save  his  own  dirty  soul. 

8  Chief  of  the  Banu  Tamim,  one  of  noblest  of  tribes  derived  from  Tamim,  the  uncle. 
of  Kuraysh  (Koreish) ;  hence  the  poets  sang  : — 

There  cannot  be  a  son  nobler  than  Kuraysh, 
Nor  an  uncle  nobler  than  Tamim. 

The  high-minded  Tamim  is  contrasted  with  the  mean-spirited  Kays,  who  also  gave 
rise  to  a  tribe ;  and  hence  the  saying  concerning  one  absolutely  inconsistent,  "  Art 
thou  now  Tamim  and  then  Kays  ?  " 

3  Surnamed  Al-Sakafi,  Governor  of  Al-Yaman  and  Irak. 

4  Tenth  Ommiade  (regn.  A.H.  105-125  =  724-743). 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu*uman  and  his  Sons.       171 

sat  up  whenas  he  had  been  reclining  and  said  to  me,  Bring  what 
thou  hast,  O  son  of  Safwan !  Quoth  I,  O  Commander  of  the 
Faithful,  one  of  the  Kings  before  thee  went  forth  in  a  time  before 
this  thy  time,  to  this  very  country  and  said  to  his  companions,  Saw 
ye  ever  any  state  like  mine  and  say  me,  hath  such  case  been  given 
to  any  man  even  as  it  hath  been  given  unto  me  ?  Now  there  was 
with  him  a  man  of  those  who  survive  to  bear  testimony  to  Truth  ; 
upholders  of  the  Right  and  wayfarers  in  its  highway,  and  he  said 
to  him,  O  King,  thou  askest  of  a  grave  matter.  Wilt  thou  give 
me  leave  to  answer  ?  Yes,  replied  the  King,  and  the  other  said, 
Dost  thou  judge  thy  present  state  to  be  short-lasting  or  everlast- 
ing ?  It  is  temporary,  replied  the  King.  How  then,  rejoined  the 
man,  do  I  see  thee  exulting  in  that  which  thou  wilt  enjoy  but  a 
little  while  and  whereof  thou  wilt  be  questioned  for  a  long  while, 
and  for  the  rendering  an  account  whereof  thou  shalt  be  as  a 
pledge  which  is  pawned  ?  Quoth  the  King,  Whither  shall  I  flee 
and  what  must  I  seek  for  me  ?  That  thou  .abide  in  thy  king- 
ship, replied  the  other,  or  else  robe  thee  in  rags  !  and  apply  thy- 
self to  obey  Almighty  Allah  thy  Lord  until  thine  appointed  hour. 
I  will  come  to  thee  again  at  daybreak.  Khalid  bin  Safwan  fur- 
ther relates  that  the  man  knocked  at  the  door  at  dawn  and 
behold,  the  King  had  put  off  his  crown  and  resolved  to  become, 
an  anchorite,  for  the  stress  of  his  exhortation.  When  Hishdm 
bin  Abd  al-Malik  heard  this,  he  wept  till  his  beard  was  wet ;  and, 
bidding  his  rich  apparel  be  put  off,  shut  himself  up  in  his  palace. 
Then  the  grandees  and  dependants  came  to  Khalid  and  said, 
What  is  this  thou  hast  done  with  the  Commander  of  the  Faith- 
ful ?  Thou  hast  troubled  his  pleasure  and  disturbed  his  life ! " 
Then  quoth  Nuzhat  al-Zaman,  addressing  herself  to  Sharrkan, 
"  How  many  instances  of  admonition  are  there  not  in  this 
chapter !  Of  a  truth  I  cannot  report  all  appertaining  to  this 

head  in  a  single  sitting  " And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn 

of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 

Jloto  foljcn  (t  teas  tfjc  Sixtn-scbtntf)  Jligfjt, 

She  said,  It   hath   reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Nuzhat 
al-Zaman  continued,  speaking  to  Sharrkan, "  Know,  O  King,  that 

1  Or  "clothe  thee  in  worn-out  clothes"  *>.  "  Become  a  Fakir"  or  religious  mendi- 
cant. 


1 72  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

in  this  chapter  be  so  many  instances  of  admonition  that  of  a  truth 
I  cannot  report  all  appertaining  to  this  head  in  a  single  sitting  but, 
with  length  of  days,  O  King  of  the  age,  all  will  be  well."  Then 
said  the  Kazis,  "  O  King,  of  a  truth  this  damsel  is  the  wonder  of 
the  world,  and  of  our  age  the  unique  pearl !  Never  heard  we  her 
like  in  the  length  of  time  or  in  the  length  of  our  lives."  And  they 
called  down  blessings  on  the  King  and  went  away.  Then  Sharrkan 
turned  to  his  attendants  and  said, "  Begin  ye  to  prepare  the  marriage 
festival  and  make  ready  food  of  all  kinds."  .  So  they  forthright  did 
his  bidding  as  regards  the  viands,  and  he  commanded  the  wives  of 
the  Emirs  and  Wazirs  and  Grandees  depart  not  until  the  time  of 
the  wedding-banquet  and  of  the  unveiling  of  the  bride.  Hardly 
came  the  period  of  afternoon-prayer  when  the  tables  were  spread 
with  whatso  heart  can  desire  or  eye  can  delight  in  of  roast  meats 
and  geese  and  fowls;  and  the  subjects  ate  till  they  were  satis- 
fied. Moreover,  Sharrkan  had  sent  for  all  the  singing-women  of 
Damascus  and  they  were  present,  together  with  every  slave-girl  of 
the  King  and  of  the  notables  who  knew  how  to  sing.  And  they 
went  up  to  the  palace  in  one  body.  When  the  evening  came  and 
darkness  starkened  they  lighted  candles,  right  and  left,  from  the 
gate  of  the  citadel  to  that  of  the  palace;  and  the  Emirs  and 
Wazirs  and  Grandees  marched  past  before  King  Sharrkan,  whilst 
the.  singers  and  the  tire-women  took  the  damsel  to  dress  and  adorn 
her,  but  found  she  needed  no  adornment.  Meantime  King 
Sharrkan  went  to  the  Hammam  and  coming  out,  sat  down  on  his 
seat  of  estate,  whilst  they  paraded  the  bride  before  him  in  seven 
different  dresses  :  after  which  they  eased  her  of  the  weight  of  her 
raiment  and  ornaments  and  gave  such  injunctions  as  are  enjoined 
upon  virgins  on  their  wedding-nights.  Then  Sharrkan  went  in 
unto  her  and  took  her  maidenhead ; *  and  she  at  once  conceived 
by  him  and,  when  she  announced  it,  he  rejoiced  with  exceeding 
joy  and  commanded  the  savants  to  record  the  date  of  her  concep- 
tion. On  the  morrow  he  went  forth  and  seated  himself  on  his 
throne,  and  the  high  officers  came  in  to  him  and  gave  him  joy. 
Then  he  called  his  private  secretary  and  bade  him  write  a  letter 
to  his  father,  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  saying  that  he  had 
bought  him  a  damsel,  who  excels  in  learning  and  good  breeding 
and  who  is  mistress  of  all  kinds  of  knowledge.  Moreover  he 

1  This  gratuitous  incest  in  ignorance  injures  the  tale  and  is  as  repugnant  to  Moslem  as 
to  Christian  taste 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       173 

wrote,  "  There  is  no  help  but  that  I  send  her  to  Baghdad  to  visit 
my  brother  Zau  al-Makan  and  my  sister  Nuzhat  al-Zaman.  I  have 
set  her  free  and  married  her  and  she  hath  conceived  by  me."  And 
he  went  on  to  praise  her  wit  and  salute  his  brother  and  sister 
together  with  the  Wazir  Dandan  and  all  the  Emirs.  Then  he 
sealed  the  letter  and  despatched  it  to  his  father  by  a  post-courier 
who  was  absent  a  whole  month,  after  which  time  he  returned  with 
the  answer  and  presented  it  in  the  presence.  Sharrkan  took  it  and 
read  as  follows,  "After  the  usual  Bismillah,  this  is  from  the  afflicted 
distracted  man,  from  him  who  hath  lost  his  children  and  home  by 
bane  and  ban,  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  to  his  son  Sharrkan. 
Know  that,  since  thy  departure  from  me,  the  place  is  become  con- 
tracted upon  me,  so  that  no  longer  I  have  power  of  patience  nor 
can  I  keep  my  secret:  and  the  cause  thereof  is  as  follows.  It 
chanced  that  when  I  went  forth  to  hunt  and  course  Zau  al-Makan 
sought  my  leave  to  fare  Hijaz-wards,  but  I,  fearing  for  him  the 
shifts  of  fortune,  forbade  him  therefrom  until  the  next  year  or  the 
year  after.  My  absence  while  sporting  and  hunting  endured  for  a 

whole  month  " And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and 

ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 

Jftofo  fof)nt  a  fans  tlje  ftfxtti-fiQ&t&  ilig&t, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  King  Omar 
bin  al-Nu'uman  wrote  in  his  letter,  "  My  absence  while  sporting 
and  hunting  endured  for  a  whole  month,  and  when  I  returned  I 
found  that  thy  brother  and  sister  had  taken  somewhat  of  money 
and  had  set  out  with  the  pilgrim-caravan  for  pilgrimage  by  stealth. 
When  I  knew  this,  the  wide  world  narrowed  on  me,  O  my  son ! 
but  I  awaited  the  return  of  the  caravan,  hoping  that  haply  they 
would  come  back  with  it.  Accordingly,  when  the  palmers  appeared 
I  asked  concerning  the  twain,  but  they  could  give  me  no  news  of 
them  ;  so  I  donned  mourning  for  them,  being  heavy  at  heart,  and 
in  sleep  I  have  no  part  and  I  am  drowned  in  the  tears  of  my  eyes." 
Then  he  wrote  in  verse : — 

That  pair  in  image  quits  me  not  one  single  hour,  o  Whom  in  my  heart's  most 

honourable  place  I  keep  : 
Sans  hope  of  their  return  I  would  not  live  one  hour,  o  Without    my   dreams    of 

'hem  I  ne'er  would  stretch  me  in  sleep. 

The  letter  went  on,  "  And  after  the  usual  salutations  to  thee  and 


1 74  Alf  Laylah ~wa  Laylah. 

thine,  I  command  thee  neglect  no  manner  of  seeking  news  of  them, 
for  indeed  this  is  a  shame  to  us."  When  Sharrkan  read  the  letter, 
he  felt  grief  for  his  father  and  joy  for  the  loss  of  his  brother  and 
sister.  Then  he  took  the  missive  and  went  in  with  it  to  Nuzhat 
al-Zaman  who  knew  not  that  he  was  her  brother,  nor  he  that  she 
was  his  sister,  albeit  he  often  visited  her  both  by  night  and  by  day, 
till  the  months  were  accomplished  and  she  sat  down  on  the  stool 
of  delivery.  Allah  made  the  child-birth  easy  to  her  and  she  bare 
a  daughter,  whereupon  she  sent  for  Sharrkan  and  seeing  him  she 
said  to  him,  "This  is  thy  daughter:  name  her  as  thou  wilt." 
Quoth  he,  "  It  is  usual  to  name  children  on  the  seventh  day  after 
birth."1  Then  he  bent  over  the  child  to  kiss  it  and  he  saw,  hung 
about  its  neck,  a  jewel,  which  he  knew  at  once  for  one  of  those 
which  Princess  Abrizah  had  brought  from  the  land  of  the  Greeks. 
Now  when  he  saw  the  jewel  hanging  from  his  babe's  neck  he 
recognised  it  right  well,  his  senses  fled  and  wrath  seized  on  him  ; 
his  eyes  rolled  in  rage  and  he  looked  at  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  and  said 
to  her,  "  Whence  hadst  thou  this  jewel,  O  slave  girl  ? "  When  she 
heard  this  from  Sharrkan  she  replied,  "  I  am  thy  lady,  and  the 
lady  of  all  in  thy  palace !  Art  thou  not  ashamed  to  say  to  me, 
Slave-girl?  I  am  a  Queen,  daughter  of  King  Omar  bin  al- 
Nu'uman."  Hearing  this,  he  was  seized  with  trembling  and  hung 

his  head  earthwards, And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day 

and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


fojjen  ft  foag  t&e 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  king,  that  when 
Sharrkan  heard  these  words,  his  heart  fluttered  and  his  colour 
waxed  yellow  and  he  was  seized  with  trembling  and  he  hung  his 
head  earthwards,  for  he  knew  that  she  was  his  sister  by  the  same 
father.  Then  he  lost  his  senses ;  and,  when  he  revived,  he  abode 
'in  amazement,  but  did  not  discover  his  identity  to  her  and  asked, 
'"  O  my  lady,  say,  art  thou  in  sooth  the  daughter  of  King  Omar 
bin  al-Nu'uman  ? "  "  Yes,"  answered  she ;  and  he  continued, 


1  The  child  is  named  either  on  the  day  of  its  birth  or  on  that  day  week.  The  father 
Whispers  it  in  the  right  ear,  often  adding  the  Azan  or  prayer-call,  and  repeating  in  the 
left  ear  the  "  Ikdmah  "  or  Friday  sentence.  There  are  many  rules  for  choosing  names 
according  to  the  week-day,  the  ascendant  planet,  the  "Sortes  Coranicse,"  etc. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nituman  and  his  Sons.       175 

"  Tell  me  the  cause  of  thy  leaving  thy  sire  and  of  thy  being  sold 
for  a  slave."  So  she  related  to  him  all  that  had  befallen  her  from 
beginning  to  end,  how  she  had  left  her  brother  sick  in  the  Sancti- 
fied City,  Jerusalem,  and  how  the  Badawi  had  kidnapped  her  and 
had  sold  her  to  the  trader.  When  Sharrkan  heard  this,  he  was 
certified  of  her  being  his  sister  on  the  sword-side  and  said  to  him- 
self, "  How  can  I  have  my  sister  to  wife  ?  By  Allah,  needs  must 
I  marry  her  to  one  of  my  chamberlains ;  and,  if  the  thing  get  wind, 
I  will  declare  that  I  divorced  her  before  consummation  and  married 
her  to  my  Chief  Chamberlain."  Then  he  raised  his  head  and 
sighing  said,  "  O  Nuzhat  al-Zaman,  thou  art  my  very  sister  and  I 
cry : — I  take  refuge  with  Allah  from  this  sin  whereinto  we  have 
fallen,  for  I  am  Sharrkan,  son  of  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman."  She 
looked  at  him  and  knew  he  spoke  the  truth  ;  and,  becoming  as  one 
demented,  she  wept  and  buffetted  her  face,  exclaiming,  "  There  is 
no  Majesty  and  there  is  no  Might  save  in  Allah  !  Verily  have  we 
fallen  into  mortal  sin  !  *  What  shall  I  do  and  what  shall  I  say  to 
my  father  and  my  mother  when  they  ask  me,  Whence  hadst  thou 
thy  daughter  ? "  Quoth  Sharrkan,  "  It  were  meetest  that  I  marry 
thee  to  my  Chamberlain  and  let  thee  bring  up  my  daughter  in  his 
house,  that  none  may  know  thou  be  my  sister.  This  hath  befallen 
us  from  Almighty  Allah  for  a  purpose  of  his  own,  and  nothing 
shall  cover  us  but  thy  marriage  with  this  Chamberlain,  ere  any 
know."  Then  he  fell  to  comforting  her  and  kissing  her  head  and 
she  asked  him,  "  What  wilt  thou  call  the  girl  ? "  "  Call  her  Kuzia- 
Fakdn," 2  answered  he.  Then  he  gave  the  mother  in  marriage  to 
the  Chief  Chamberlain,  and  transferred  her  to  his  house  with  the 
child,  which  they  reared  on  the  laps  of  the  slave-girls,  and  fed  with 
milk  and  dosed  with  powders.  Now  all  this  occurred  whilst  the 
brother,  Zau  al-Makan,  still  tarried  with  the  Fireman  at  Damascus. 
One  day  there  came  to  King  Sharrkan  a  courier  from  his  father, 
with  a  letter  which  he  took  and  read  and  found  therein,  "  After 
the  Bismillah  know,  O  beloved  King,  that  I  am  afflicted  with  sore 
affliction  for  the  loss  of  my  children :  sleep  ever  faileth  me  and 
wakefulness  ever  assaileth  me.  I  send  thee  this  letter  that,  as  soon 


'Amongst   Moslems  as  amongst  Christians  there  are  seven  deadly  sins:    idolatry, 

murder,  falsely  charging  modest  women  with  unchastity,  robbing  orphans,  usury,  deser* 

tion  in  Holy  War  and  disobedience  to  parents.     The  difference  between  the  two  creed* 

is  noteworthy.     And  the  sage  knows  only  three,  intemperance,  ignorance  and  egoism. 

<*  Meaning,  "  It  was  decreed  by  Destiny ;  so  it  came  to  pass,"  appropriate  if  not  neat.; 


Ij6  A//  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

as  thou  receivest  it,  thou  make  ready  the  monies  and  the  tribute,  and 
send  them  to  us,  together  with  the  damsel  whom  thou  hast  bought 
and  taken  to  wife.;  for  J  long  to  see  her  and  hear  her  discourse; 
more  especially  because  there  hath  come  to  us  from  Roum-land  an 
old  woman  of  saintly  bearing  and  with  her  be  five  damsels,  high- 
bosomed  virgins,  endowed  with  knowledge  and  good-breeding  and 
all  arts  and  sciences' befitting  mortals  to  know  ;  and  indeed  tongue 
faileth  me  to  describe  this  old  woman  and  these  who  with  her 
wend ;  for  of  a  truth  they  are  compendiums  of  perfections  in 
learning  and  accomplishments.  As  soon  as  I  saw  them  I  loved 
them,  and  I  wished  to  have  them  in  my  palace  and  in  the  compass 
of  my  hand  ;  for  none  of  the  Kings  owneth  the  like  of  them  ;  so  I 
asked  the  old  woman  their  price  and  she  answered: — I  will  not 
sell  them  but  for  the  tribute  of  Damascus.  And  I,  by  Allah,  did 
not  hold  this  price  exorbitant,  indeed  it  is  but  little,  for  each  one 
of  them  is  worth  the  whole  valuation.  So  I  agreed  to  that  and 
took  them  into  my  palace,  and  they  remain  in  my  possession. 
Wherefore  do  thou  forward  the  tribute  to  us  that  the  woman  may 
return  to  her  own  country;  and  send  to  us  the  damsel  to  the  end 
that  she  may  dispute  with  them  before  the  doctors ;  and,  if  she 
prevail  over  them,  I  will  return  her  to  thee  accompanied  by  the 

tribute  of  Baghdad." And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of 

day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


fofrn  it  foas  t&e  Jpull  gbdwntfetj 

She  said,  it  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  King  Omar 
son  of  Al-NVuman  said  in  his  letter,  "  And  send  to  us  the  damsel 
to  the  end  that  she  may  dispute  with  them  before  the  doctors  ; 
and,  if  she  prevail  over  them,  I  will  return  her  to  thee  accompanied 
with  the  tribute  of  Baghdad."  As  soon  as  Sharrkan  knew  the  con- 
tents, he  went  in  to  his  brother-in-law  and  said  to  him,  "  Bring  the 
damsel  to  whom  I  married  thee ; "  and  when  she  came  he  showed 
her  the  letter  and  said,  "  O  my  sister!  what  answer  wouldst 
thou  advise  me  make  to  this  letter  ?"  f  Replied  she,  "  Seek  advice 
from  thyself!  "  and  presently  added  (for  she  yearned  after  her 
people  and  her  native  land),  "  Send  me  together  with  my  husband 
the  Chamberlain,  to  Baghdad,  that  I  may  tell  my  father  my  tale 
and  let  him  know  whatso  befel  me  with  the  Badawi  who  sold  me  to 
the  merchant,  and  that  I  also  inform  him  how  thou  boughtest  me 


jTale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nttuman  and  his  Sons.       177 

of  the  trader  and  gavest  me  in  marriage  to  the  Chamberlain,  after 
setting  me  free."  "  Be  it  so,"  replied  Sharrkan.  Then  Sharrkan 
took  his  daughter,  Kuzia  Fakan,  and  committed  her  to  the  charge 
of  the  wet-nurses  and  the  eunuchs,  and  he  made  ready  the  tribute 
in  haste,  bidding  the  Chamberlain  travel  with  the  Princess  and  the 
treasure  to  Baghdad.  He  also  furnished  him  two  travelling  litters  ; 
one  for  himself  and  the  other  for  his  wife.  And  the  Chamberlain 
replied, "  To  hear  is  to  obey."  Moreover  Sharrkan  collected  camels 
and  mules  and  wrote  a  letter  to  his  father  and  committed  it  to  the 
Chamberlain  ;  then  he  bade  farewell  to  his  sister,  after  he  had 
taken  the  jewel  from  her  and  hung  it  round  his  daughter's  neck  by 
a  chain  of  pure  gold  ;  and  she  and  her  husband  set  out  for 
Baghdad  the  same  night.  Now  it  so  happened  that  Zau  al-Makan 
and  his  friend  the  Fireman  had  come  forth  from  the  hut  in  which 
they  were,  to  see  the  spectacle,  and  they  beheld  camels  and  Bukhti1 
dromedaries  and  bat-mules  and  torches  and  lanterns  alight ;  and 
Zau  al-Makan  enquired  about  the  loads  and  their  owner  and  was 
told  that  it  was  the  tribute  of  Damascus  going  to  King  Omar  bin 
al-Nu'uman,  Lord  of  the  City  of  Baghdad.  He  then  asked, «  Who 
be  the  leader  of  the  caravan  ? "  and  they  answered,  "  The  Head 
Chamberlain  who  hath  married  the  damsel  so  famous  for  learning 
and  science."  Thereupon  Zau  al-Makan  wept  with  bitter  weeping 
and  was  minded  of  his  mother  and  his  father  and  his  sister  and  his 
native  land,  and  he  said  to  the  Stoker, "  I  will  join  this  caravan  and, 
little  by  little,  will  journey  homewards."  Quoth  the  Fireman,  "  I 
would  not  suffer  thee  to  travel  single-handed  from  the  Holy  City  to 
Damascus,  then  how  shall  I  be  sure  of  thy  safety  when  thou  farest 
for  Baghdad  ?  But  I  will  go  with  thee  and  care  for  thee  till  thou 
effectest  thine  object."  "  With  joy  and  good  will,"  answered  Zau 
al-Makan.  Then  the  Fireman  gat  him  ready  for  the  journey  and 
hired  an  ass  and  threw  saddle-bags  over  it  and  put  therein  some- 
thing of  provaunt ;  and,  when  all  was  prepared,  he  awaited  the 
passage  of  the  caravan.  And  presently  the  Chamberlain  came  by 
on  a  dromedary  and  his  footmen  about  him.  Then  Zau  al-Makan 
mounted  the  ass  and  said  to  his  companion,  "  Do  thou  mount  with 
me."  But  he  replied,  "Not  so:  I  will  be  thy  servant."  Quoth 


1  The  short,   stout,   dark,   long-haired  and    two  bunched  camel   from   "Bukhtar" 
(Bactria),  the  "Eastern"  (Bakhtar)  region  on  the  Amu  or  Jayhun  (Oxus)  River;  after- 
wards called  Khorasan.     The  two-humped  camel  is  never  seen  in  Arabia  except  with 
northern  caravans,  and  to  speak  of  it  would  be  a  sore  test  of  Badawi  credulity. 
VOL  II.  M 


l^s  A  If  Laylak  wa  Laylah. 

Zau  al-Makan,"  There  is  no  help  for  it  but  thou  ride  awhile."  "Tis 
•well,"  quoth  the  Stoker ;  "  I  will  ride  when  I  grow  tired."  Then 
said  Zau  al-Makan,  "  O  my  brother,  soon  shalt  thou  see  how  I  will 
deal  with  thee,  when  I  come  to  my  own  folk."  So  they  fared  on 
till  the  sun  rose  and,  when  it  was  the  hour  of  the  noonday  sleep1 
the  Chamberlain  called  a  halt  and  they  alighted  and  reposed  and 
watered  their  camels.  Then  he  gave  the  signal  for  departure  and, 
after  five  days,  they  came  to  the  city  of  Hamah,2  where  they  set 

down  and  made  a  three  days'  halt ; And  Shahrazad  perceived 

the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


fo&cn  it  foas  tfa  Sbetontg-first  tNisJt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  they  halted 
in  the  city  of  Hamah  three  days ;  they  then  fared  forwards  and 
ceased  not  travelling  till  they  reached  another  city.  Here  also 
they  halted  three  days  and  thence  they  travelled  till  they  entered 
the  province  Diyar  Bakr.  Here  blew  on  them  the  breezes  of 
Baghdad,  and  Zau  al-Makan  bethought  him  of  his  father  and 
mother  and  native  land,  and  how  he  was  returning  to  his  sire 
without  his  sister :  so  he  wept  and  sighed  and  complained,  and 
his  regrets  grew  on  him,  and  he  began  improvising  these 
couplets  : — 

Sweetheart !  How  long  must  I  await  by  so  long-suffering  tried?  o  Nor  cometh 

messenger  to  tell  me  where  thou  dost  abide  : 
,  Ah  me !  in  very  sooth  our  meeting-time  was  short  enow  :  o  Would  Heaven 

shorter  prove  to  me  the  present  parting- tide  ! 
Now  hend  my  hand  and  ope  my  robe  and  thou  within  shall  sight  o  How  wasted 

are  the  limbs  of  me  and  yet  the  waste  I  hide  : 
When  say  they  "  Comfort  take  for  loss  of  love  "  !  but  reply  °  "  By  Allah, 

till  the  Day  of  Doom  no  comfort  shall  betide  !  " 


1  "Kaylulah"  is  the  "forty- winks"  about  noon  :  it  is  a  $unnat  or  Practice  of  the 
Prophet  who  said,  "  Make  Ihe  mid-day  siesta,  for  verily  at  this  hour  the  devils  sleep 
not."  **Aylulah"is  slumbering  after  morning  prayers  (our  "beauty-sleep"),  causing 
heaviness  and  idleness :  "Ghaylulah"  is  dozing  about  9  a.m.  engendering  poverty  and 
wretchedness:  "Kaylulah"  (with  the  guttural  Kaf)  is  sleeping  before  evening  pxmyers 
and  "Faylulah"  is  slumbering  after  sunset — both  held  to  be  highly  detrimental. 
(Pilgrimage  ii.  49.) 

a  The  Biblical  "  Hamath"  (Hightown)  too  well  known  to  require  description.  It  is 
still  famous  for  the  water-wheels  mentioned  by  al-Hariri  (assembly  of  the  Banu 
Haram). 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       179 

Thereupon  said  to  him  the  Fireman,  "  Leave  this  weeping  and 
wailing,  for  we  are  near  the  Chamberlain's  tent."  Quoth  Zau 
al-Makan,  "  Needs  must  I  recite  somewhat  of  verse ;  haply  it  may 
quench  the  fire  of  my  heart."  "  Allah  upon  thee,"  cried  the  other, 
"  cease  this  lamentation  till  thou  come  to  thine  own  country  ;  then 
do  what  thou  wilt,  and  I  will  be  with  thee  wherever  thou  art" 
Replied  Zau  al-Makan,  "  By  Allah  !  I  cannot  forbear  from  this  !  " 
Then  he  turned  his  face  towards  Baghdad  and  the  moon  was 
shining  brightly  and  shedding  her  light  on  the  place,  and  Nuzhat 
al-Zaman  could  not  sleep  that  night,  but  was  restless  and  called 
to  mind  her  brother  and  wept.  And  while  she  was  in  tears, 
she  heard  Zau  al-Makan  weeping  and  improvising  the  following 
distichs : — 

"  Al-Yaman's !   leven-gleam  I  see,  o  And  sore  despair  despaireth  me 

For  friend  who  erst  abode  wi'  me  o  Crowning  my  cup  with  gladdest 

gree  : 

It  minds  me  o'  one  who  jilted  me  o  To  mourn  my  bitter  liberty. 
Say  sooth,  thou  fair  sheet-lightning !  shall  o  We  meet  once  more  in  joy  and 

glee? 

0  blamer !  spare  to  me  thy  blame  o  My  Lord  hath  sent  this  dule  to 

dree,  .  :» 

Of  friend  who  left  me,  fain  to  flee ;  o  Of  Time  that  breeds  calamity  : 

All  bliss  hath  fled  the  heart  of  me  o  Since  Fortune  proved  mine  enemyv 

He2  brimmed  a  bowl  of  merest  pine,  o  And  made  me  drain  the  dregs, 

did  he  : 

1  see  me,  sweetheart,  dead  and  gone  o  Ere  I  again  shall  gaze  on  thee. 
Time  !  prithee  bring  our  childhood  back,  o  Restore  our  happy  infancy, 
When  joy  and  safety  'joyed  we  o  From  shafts  that  now  they  shoot 

at  me ! 

Who  aids  the  hapless  stranger-wight,  o  That  nights  in  fright  and  misery, 
That  wastes  his  days  in  lonely  grief,  o  For  "Time's  Delight"3  no  more 

must  be  ? 
Doomed  us  despite  our  will  to  bear          o  The   hands  of  base-borns    cark 

and  care. 

When  he  ended  his  verse  he  cried  out  and  fell  down  in  a  fairiting- 

1  When  they  say,  The  leven  flashes  bright  on  the  hills  of  Al-Yaman,  the  allusion  is  to 
the  south  quarter,  where  summer-lightning  is  seen.    Al-Yamart  (always  with  the  article) 
means,  I  have  said,  the  right-hand  region  to  one  facing  the  rising  sun  and  Al-Sham 
(Syria)  the  left-hand  region. 

2  Again  "he"  for  "she,"  in  delicacy  and  jealousy  of  making  public  the  beauty  or 
conditions  of  the  "veiled  sex."     Even  public  singers  would  hesitate  to  use  a  feminine 
pronoun.     As  will  be  seen,  however,  the  rule  is  not  invariably  kept  and  hardly  ever  in 
Badawi  poetry. 

3  The  normal  pun  on  "  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  "  =  Delight  of  the  Age  or  Time. 


i8o  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

fit.  This  is  how  it  fared  with  him  ;  but  as  regards  Nuzhat  al- 
Zaman,  when  she  heard  that  voice  in  the  night,  her  heart  was  at 
rest  and  she  rose  and  in  her  joy  she  called  the  Chief  Eunuch,  who 
said  to  her,  "  What  is  thy  will  ?  "  Quoth  she,  "  Arise  and  bring 
me  him  who  recited  verses  but  now."  Replied  he,  "  Of  a  truth  I 

did  not  hear  him  " And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day 

and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 

Noto  fo&en  it  foas  tfic  §bebentg=secon&  Nfg&t, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  Nuzhat 
al-Zaman  heard  her  brother  reciting,  she  called  the  Chief  Eunuch 
and  said  to  him,  "Go,  fetch  me  the  man  who  is  repeating  this 
poetry ! "  Replied  he,  "  Of  a  truth  I  heard  him  not  and  I  wot  him 
not  and  folks  are  all  sleeping."  But  she  said,  "  Whomsoever  thou 
seest  awake,  he  is  the  reciter."  So  he  went,  yet  found  none  on 
wake  save  the  Stoker ;  for  Zau  al-Makan  was  still  insensible,  and 
when  his  companion  saw  the  Eunuch  standing  by  his  head  he  was 
afraid  of  him.  Then  said  the  Eunuch,  "  Art  thou  he  who  repeated 
poetry  but  now  and  my  lady  heard  him  ? "  The  Stoker  fancied 
that  the  dame  was  wroth  with  the  reciter ;  and,  being  afraid,  he 
replied,  "  By  Allah,  'twas  not  I !  '*  Rejoined  the  Eunuch,  "  Who 
then  was  the  reciter?:  point  him  out  to  me.  Thou  must  know  who 
it  was,  seeing  that  thou  art  awake."  The  Fireman  feared  for  Zau 
al-Makan  and  said  in  himself,  "  Haply  the  Eunuch  will  do  him 
some  hurt "  ;  so  he  answered,  "  By  Allah,  I  know  not  who  it  was." 
Said  the  Eunuch,  "  By  Allah,  thou  liest,  for  there  is  none  on  wake 
here  but  thou !  So  needs  must  thou  know  him."  "  By  Allah," 
replied  the  Fireman,  "  I  tell  thee  the  truth ! :  some  passer  by,  some 
wayfarer  must  have  recited  the  verses  and  disturbed  me  and  kept 
me  awake ;  Allah  requite  him ! "  Quoth  the  Eunuch,  "If  thou 
happen  upon  him,  point  him  out  to  me  and  I  will  lay  hands  on 
him  and  bring  him  to  the  door  of  our  lady's  litter;1  or  do  thou 
take  him  with  thine  own  hand."  Said  the  Fireman, "  Go  thou  back 
and  I  will  bring  him  to  thee."  So  the  Eunuch  left  him  and  went 
his  ways ;  and,  going  in  to  his  mistress,  told  her  all  this  and  said 
to  her,  "  None  knoweth  who  it  was ;  it  must  have  been  some 
passer-by,  some  wayfarer."  And  she  was  silent.  Meanwhile,  Zau 

1  The  reader  will  find  in  my  Pilgrimage  (i.  305)  a  sketch  of  the  Takht-rawan  or 
travelling-litter,  in  which  pilgrimesses  are  wont  to  sleep. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nituman  and  his  Sons.       181 

al-Makan  came  to  himself  and  saw  that  the  moon  had  reached  the 
middle  Heavens ;  the  breath  of  the  dawn-breeze *  breathed  upon 
him  and  his  heart  was  moved  to  longing  and  sadness;  so  he 
cleared  his  throat  and  was  about  to  recite  verses,  when  the  Fire- 
man asked  him,  "  What  wilt  thou  do  ? "  Answered  Zau  al-Makan, 
"  I  have  a  mind  to  repeat  somewhat  of  poetry,  that  I  may  quench 
therewith  the  fire  of  my  heart."  Quoth  the  other,  "  Thou  knowest 
not  what  befel  me  whilst  thou  wast  a-faint,  and  how  I  escaped 
death  only  by  beguiling  the  Eunuch."  "  Tell  me  what  happened," 
quoth  Zau  al-Makan.  Replied  the  Stoker, "  Whilst  thou  wast 
aswoon  there  came  up  to  me  but  now  an  Eunuch,  with  a  long  staff 
of  almond-tree  wood  in  his  hand,  who  took  to  looking  in  all  the 
people's  faces,  as  they  lay  asleep,  and  asked  me  who  it  was  recited 
the  verses,  finding  none  awake  but  myself.  I  told  him  in  reply  it 
was  some  passer-by,  some  wayfarer ;  so  he  went  away  and  Allah 
delivered  me  from  him  ;  else  had  he  killed  me.  But  first  he  said 
to  me  : — If  thou  hear  him  again,  bring  him  to  us."  When  Zau  al- 
Makan  heard  this  he  wept  and  said,  "  Who  is  it  would  forbid  me  to 
recite  ?  I  will  surely  recite,  befal  me  what  may ;  for  I  am  near 
mine  own  land  and  care  for  none."  Rejoined  the  Fireman,  "Thy 
design  is  naught  save  to  lose  thy  life;"  and  Zau  al-Makan  retorted, 
" Needs  must  I  recite  verses."  "Verily,"  said  the  Stoker,  "  Needs 
must  there  be  a  parting  between  me  and  thee  in  this  place,  albeit 
I  had  intended  not  to  leave  thee,  till  I  had  brought  thee  to  thy 
native  city  and  re-united  thee  with  thy  mother  and  father.  Thou 
hast  now  tarried  with  me  a  year  and  a  half  and  I  have  never 
harmed  thee  in  aught.  What  ails  thee,  then,  that  thou  must 
needs  recite  verses,  seeing  that  we  are  tired  out  with  walking  and 
watching  and  all  the  folk  are  asleep,  for  they  require  sleep  to  rest 
them  of  their  fatigue  ? "  But  Zau  al-Makan  answered,  "  I  will  not 
be  turned  away  from  my  purpose."2  Then  grief  moved  him  and 
he  threw  off  concealment  and  began  repeating  these  couplets : — 

Stand  thou  by  the  homes  and  hail  the  lords  of  the  ruined  stead  ;  o  Cry  thou  for 

an  answer,  belike  reply  to  thee  shall  be  sped  : 
If  the  night  and  absence  irk  thy  spirit  kindle  a  torch        o  Wi'  repine; 

and  illuminate  the  gloom  with  a  gleaming  gleed  : 


1  In  poetry  it  holds  the  place  of  our  Zephyr  ;  and  the  "  Bad-i-Saba''  =  Breeze  o*  the 
morn,  is  much  addressed  by  Persian  poets. 

3  Here  appears  the  nervous,  excitable,  hysterical  Arab  temperament  which  is  almost 
phrensied  by  the  neighbourhood  of  a  home  from  which  he  had  run  away. 


1 82  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

If  the  snake  of  the  sand-dunes  hiss,  I  shall  marvel  not  at  all !  o  Let  him  bite 

so  I  bite  those  beauteous  lips  of  the  luscious  red  : 
O   Eden,  my  soul  hath  fled  in  despite  of  the  maid  I  love  :  o  Had    I   lost 

hope  of  Heaven  my  heart  in  despair  were  dead. 

And  he  also  improvised  the  two  following  distichs : 

We  were  and  were  the  days  enthralled  to  all  our  wills,  o  Dwelling  in  union 

sweet  and  homed  in  fairest  site  : 
Who  shall  restore  the  home  of  the  beloved,  where  showed  o  Light  of  the  Place 

for  aye  conjoined  with  Time's  Delight  P1 

And  as  he  ceased  his  verses,  he  shrieked  three  shrieks  and  fell 
senseless  to  the  ground  and  the  Fireman  rose  and  covered  him. 
When  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  heard  the  first  improvisation,  she  called 
to  mind  her  father  and  her  mother  and  her  brother  and  their 
whilome  home ;  then  she  wept  and  cried  at  the  Eunuch  and  said 
to  him,  "  Woe  to  thee  !  He  who  recited  the  first  time  hath  recited 
a  second  time  and  I  heard  him  hard  by.  By  Allah,  an  thou  fetch 
him  not  to  me,  I  will  assuredly  rouse  the  Chamberlain  on  thee, 
and  he  shall  beat  thee  and  cast  thee  out.  But  take  these  hundred 
dinars  and  give  them  to  the  singer  and  bring  him  to  me  gently, 
and  do  him  no  hurt.  If  he  refuse,  hand  to  him  this  purse  of  a 
thousand  dinars,  then  leave  him  and  return  to  me  and  tell  me, 
after  thou  hast  informed  thyself  of  his  place  and  his  calling  and 

what  countryman  he  is.     Return  quickly  and  linger  not." And 

Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  per- 
mitted say. 

Nofo  fofien  it  tons  t&e  gbebentg-tinrb  Ntgfjt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Nuzhat  al- 
Zaman  sent  the  Eunuch  to  make  enquiries  concerning  the  singer 
and  said,  "Beware  how  thou  come  back  to  me  and  report,  I 
could  not  find  him."  So  the  Eunuch  went  out  and  laid  about  the 
people  and  trod  in  their  tents,  but  found  none  awake,  all  being 
asleep  for  weariness,  till  he  came  to  the  Stoker  and  saw  him  sitting 
up,  with  his  head  uncovered.  So  he  drew  near  and  seizing  him  by 
the  hand,  said  to  him,  "  It  was  thou  didst  recite  the  verses  ! "  The 
Fireman  was  afeard  for  his  life  and  replied,  "  No,  by  Allah,  O  chief 
of  the  people,  it  was  not  I  !  "  But  the  Eunuch  said,  "  I  will  not 
leave  thee  till  thou  show  me  who  it  was  that  recited  the  verses,  for 

1  Zau  al-Makan  and  Nuzhat  al-Zaman. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       183 

I  dread  returning  to  my  lady  without  him."  Now  when  the  Fireman 
heard  these  words  he  feared  for  Zau  al-Makan  and  wept  with  ex- 
ceeding weeping  and  said  to  the  Eunuch,  "  By  Allah,  it  was  not  I, 
and  I  know  him  not.  I  only  heard  some  passer-by,  some  wayfarer, 
recite  verses:  so  do  not  thou  commit  sin  on  me,  for  I  am  a  stranger 
and  come  from  the  Holy  City  of  Jerusalem ;  and  Abraham,  the 
friend  of  Allah,  be  with  you  all."  "Rise  up  and  fare  with  me," 
rejoined  the  Eunuch,  "  and  tell  my  lady  this  with  thine  own  mouth, 
for  I  have  seen  none  awake  save  thyself."  Quoth  the  Stoker, 
"  Hast  thou  not  come  and  seen  me  sitting  in  the  place  where  I 
now  am,  and  dost  thou  not  know  my  station  ?  Thou  wettest  none 
can  stir  from  his  place,  except  the  watchmen  seize  him.  So  go 
thou  to  thy  station  and  if  thou  again  meet  any  one  after  this  hour 
reciting  aught  of  poetry,  whether  he  be  near  or  far,  it  will  be  I  or 
some  one  I  know,  and  thou  shalt  not  learn  of  him  but  by  me." 
Then  he  kissed  the  Eunuch's  head  and  spake  him  fair  till  he  went 
away ;  but  the  Castrato  fetched  a  round  and,  returning  secretly, 
came  and  stood  behind  the  Fireman,  fearing  to  go  back  to  his 
mistress  without  tidings.  As  soon  as  he  was  gone,  the  Stoker  arose 
and  aroused  Zau  al-Makan  and  said  to  him,  "  Come,  sit  up,  that  I 
may  tell  thee  what  hath  happened."  So  Zau  al-Makan  sat  up,  and 
his  companion  told  him  what  had  passed,  and  he  answered,  "  Let 
me  alone ;  I  will  take  no  heed  of  this  and  I  care  for  none,  for  I  am 
near  mine  own  country."1  Quoth  the  Stoker,  "  Why  wilt  thou 
obey  thy  flesh  and  the  devil  ?  If  thou  fear  no  one,  I  fear  for  thee 
and  for  my  life,  so  Allah  upon  thee  !  recite  nothing  more  of  verses 
till  thou  come  to  thine  own  land.  Indeed,  I  had  not  deemed  thee 
so  ill-conditioned.  Dost  thou  not  know  that  this  lady  is  the  wife 
of  the  Chamberlain  and  is  minded  to  chastise  thee  for  disturbing 
her  ?  Belike,  she  is  ill  or  restless  for  fatigue  of  the  journey  and 
the  distance  of  the  place  from  her  home,  and  this  is  the  second 
time  she  hath  sent  the  Eunuch  to  look  for  thee."  However  Zau 
al-Makan  paid  no  heed  to  the  Fireman's  words  but  cried  out  a 
third  time  and  began  versifying  with  these  couplets  : — 

I  fly  the  carper's  injury,  o  Whose  carping  sorely  vexeth  me  : 

He  chides  and  taunts  me,  wotting  not         o  He  burns  me  but  more  grievously. 
The  blamer  cries  "  He  is  consoled! "          o  I  say,  "  My  own  dear  land*  to  see:" 


1  The  idea  is  essentially  Eastern,  "  A  lion  at  home  and  a  lamb  abroad  "  is  the  popular 
saying. 

2  Arab.  "  Hubb  al-Watan  "  (=:  love  of  birthplace,  patriotism)  of  which  the  Tradition 
says  "  Min  al-Iman  "  (=  j&  part  of  man's  religion). 


184  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

They  ask,  "  Why  be  that  land  so  dear  ?"  o  I  say,"  It  taught  me  in  love  to  be:** 
They  ask,  "What  raised  its  dignity?"        o  I  say,  "What  made  my  ignomy:" 
Whate'er  the  bitter  cup  I  drain,  o  Far  be  fro'  me  that  land  to  flee  : 

Nor  will  I  bow  to  those  who  blame,  o-  And  for  such  love  would  deal  me 

shame. 

Hardly  had  he  made  an  end  of  his  verses  and  come  to  a  conclusion, 
when  the  Eunuch  (who  had  heard  him  from  his  hiding-place  at  his 
head)  came  up  to  him  ;  whereupon  the  Fireman  fled  and  stood  afar 
off  to  see  what  passed  between  them.  Then  said  the  Eunuch  to 
jZau  al-Makan,  "  Peace  be  with  thee,  O  my  lord  !  "  "  And  on  thee 
be  peace,"  replied  Zau  al-Makan,  "  and  the  mercy  of  Allah  and 

His  blessings  !  "     "  O  my  lord,"  continued  the  Eunuch And 

Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  per- 
mitted say. 

jHofo  fojim  ft  bias  tfje  gbtbentg-fourti)  Jligljt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  Eunuch 
said  to  Zau  al-Makan,  "  O  my  lord,  I  have  sought  thee  these  several 
times  this  night,  for  my  mistress  biddeth  thee  to  her."  Quoth  Zau 
al-Makan,  "  And  who  be  this  bitch  that  seeketh  for  me  ?  Allah 
curse  her  and  curse  her  husband  with  her  !  " *  And  he  began  to 
revile  the  Eunuch,  who  could  make  him  no  answer,  because  his 
mistress  had  charged  him  to  do  Zau  al-Makan  no  hurt,  nor  bring 
him  save  of  his  own  especial  free  will ;  and,  if  he  would  not  accom- 
pany him,  to  give  him  the  thousand  dinars.  So  the  Castrato  began 
to  speak  him  fair  and  say  to  him,  "  O  my  lord,  take  this  purse  and 
go  with  me.  We  will  do  thee  no  unright,  O  my  son,  nor  wrong 
thee  in  aught ;  but  our  object  is  that  thou  bend  thy  gracious  steps 
with  me  to  my  mistress,  to  receive  her  answer  and  return  in  weal 
and  safety :  and  thou  shalt  have  a  handsome  present  as  one  who 
bringeth  good  news."  When  Zau  al-Makan  heard  this,  he  arose 
and  went  with  the  Eunuch  and  walked  among  the  sleeping  folk, 
stepping  over  them  ;  whilst  the  Fireman  followed  after  them  from 
afar,  and  kept  his  eye  upon  him  and  said  to  himself,  "Alas  the  pity 
of  his  youth  !  To-morrow  they  will  hang  him."  And  he  ceased 
not  following  them  till  he  approached  their  station,2  without  any 


1  He  is  supposed  lo  speak  en  prince ;  and  he  yields  to  a  prayer  when  he  spurns  a 
command. 

2  In  such  caravans  each  party  must  keep  its  own  place  under  pain  of  getting  into, 
trouble  with  the 'watchmen  and  guards. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-NiCuman  and  his  Sons.       185 

observing  him.  Then  he  stood  still  and  said, "  How  base  it  will  be 
of  him,  if  he  say  it  was  I  who  bade  him  recite  the  verses  ! "  This 
was  the  case  of  the  Stoker ;  but  as  regards  what  befel  Zau  al- 
Makan,  he  ceased  not  walking  with  the  Eunuch  till  he  reached  his 
station  and  the  Castrate  went  in  to  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  and  said, "  O 
my  lady,  I  have  brought  thee  him  whom  thou  soughtest,  and  he  is 
a  youth,  fair  of  face  and  bearing  the  marks  of  wealth  and  gentle 
breeding."  When  she  heard  this,  her  heart  fluttered  and  she  cried, 
"  Let  him  recite  some  verses,  that  I  may  hear  him  nearhand,  and 
after  ask  him  his  name  and  his  condition  and  his  native  land."  Then 
the  Eunuch  went  out  to  Zau  al-Makan  and  said  to  him,  "  Recite 
what  verses  thou  knowest,  for  my  lady  is  here  hard  by,  listening  to 
thee,  and  after  I  will  ask  thee  of  thy  name  and  thy  native  country 
and  thy  condition."  Replied  he,  "  With  love  and  gladness  but,  an 
thou  ask  my  name,  it  is  erased  and  my  trace  is  unplaced  and  my 
body  awaste.  I  have  a  story,  the  beginning  of  which  is  not  known 
nor  can  the  end  of  it  be  shown,  and  behold,  I  am  even  as  one  who 
hath  exceeded  in  wine-drinking  and  who  hath  not  spared  himself; 
one  who  is  afflicted  with  distempers  and  who  wandereth  from  his 
right  mind,  being  perplexed  about  his  case  and  drowned  in  the  sea 
of  thought."  When  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  heard  this,  she  broke  out  into 
excessive  weeping  and  sobbing,  and  said  to  the  Eunuch,  "  Ask  him 
if  he  have  parted  from  one  he  loveth  even  as  his  mother  or  father." 
The  Castrato  asked  as  she  bade  him,  and  Zau  al-Makan  replied, 
"  Yes,  I  have  parted  from  every  one  I  loved  :  but  the  dearest  of  all 
to  me  was  my  sister,  from  whom  Fate  hath  separated  me."  When 
Nuzhat  al-Zaman  heard  this,  she  exclaimed,  "  Allah  Almighty 

reunite  him  with  what  he  loveth  !  " And  Shahrazad  perceived 

the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


/lotu  InJKn  it  foa?  tljc  ^cbcntn-ftftlj  Jlialjt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when 
Nuzhat  al-Zaman  heard  his  words  she  said,  "Allah  reunite  him 
with  what  he  loveth  ! "  Then  quoth  she  to  the  Eunuch,  "  Tell 
him  to  let  me  hear  somewhat  anent  his  separation  from  his 
countrymen  and  his  country."  The  Eunuch  did  so,  and  Zau  al- 
Makan  sighed  heavily  and  began  repeating  these  couplets1:—  • 


1  Mr.  Payne  (ii.  109)  borrows  this  and  the  next  quotation  from  the  Bui.  Edit,  i  386. 


1 86  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

Is  not  her  love  a  pledge  by  all  mankind  confest  ?  o  The  house  that  hometh 
Hinda  be  for  ever  blest ! 

Her  love  all  levels  ;  man  can  reck  of  naught  beside ;  o  Naught  or  before  or 
after  can  for  man  have  zest. 

Tis  though  the  vale  is  paved  with  musk  and  ambergris  o  That  day  when  Hinda 's 
footstep  on  its  face  is  prest  : 

Hail  to  the  beauty  of  our  camp,  the  pride  of  folk,  o  The  dearling  who  en- 
slaves all  hearts  by  her  behest  : 

Allah  on  "  Time's  Delight  "  send  large-dropped  clouds  that  teem  o  With  genial 
rain  but  bear  no  thunder  in  their  breast. 

And  also  these  : — 

I  vow  to  Allah  if  at  home  I  sight  o  My  sister  Nuzhat  al-Zama"ni 

hight, 

I'll  pass  the  days  in  joyance  and  delight  o  Mid  bashful  minions,  mai- 

dens soft  and  white  : 

To  sound  of  harps  in  various  modes  they  smite  o  Draining  the  bowl,  while 
eyes  rain  lively  light 

'Neath  half-closed  lids,  a-sipping  lips  red-bright  o  By  stream-bank  flowing 
through  my  garden-site. 

When  he  had  finished  his  verse,  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  lifted  up  a  skirt 
of  the  litter-curtain  and  looked  at  him.  As  soon  as  her  eyes  fell 
on  his  face,  she  knew  him  for  certain  and  cried  out, "  O  my  brother ! 

0  Zau  al-Makan  ! "     He  also  looked  at  her  and  knew  her  and 
cried   out,   "  O   my   sister !     O    Nuzhat   al-Zaman ! "     Then   she 
threw  herself  upon  him  and  he  gathered  her  to  his  bosom  and  the 
twain  fell  down  in  a  fainting  fit.     When  the  Eunuch  saw  this  case, 
he  wondered  at  them  and  throwing  over  them  somewhat  to  cover 
them,  waited  till  they  should  recover.     After  a  while  they  came  to 
themselves,  and  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  rejoiced  with  exceeding  joy : 
oppression  and  depression  left  her  and  gladness  took  the  mastery 
of  her,  and  she  repeated  these  verses  : — 

Time  sware  my  life  should  fare  in  woeful  waste  ;  o  Forsworn  art  Time,  expiate 

thy  sin  in  haste ! l 
Comes  weal  and  comes  a  welcome  friend  to  aid  ;  o  To  him  who   brings  good 

news,  rise,  gird  thy  waist : 

1  spurned  old-world  tales  of  Eden-bliss ;  o  Till  came   I    Kausar 2   on 

those  lips  to  taste. 


1  For  the  expiation  of  inconsiderate  oaths  see  Koran  (chapt.  v.)     I  cannot  but  think 
that  Al-Islam  treats  perjury  too  lightly  :    all  we  can  say  is   that  it    improves   upon 
Hinduism,  which  practically  seems  to  leave  the  punishment  to  the  gods. 

2  "  Kausar,"  as  has  been  said,  represents  the  classical  nectar,  the  Amrita  of  the 
Hindus. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Son*.       187 

When  Zau  al-Makan  heard  this,  he  pressed  his  sister  to  his  breast ; 
tears  streamed  from  his  eyes  for  excess  of  joy  and  he  repeated 
these  couplets  ! : — 

Long  I   lamented  that   we  fell  apart,         o  While   tears   repentant    railed 

from  these  eyne  ; 
And  sware,  if  Time  unite  us  twain  once  more,  o  "  Severance  "  shall  never  sound 

from  tongue  of  mine  : 
Joy  hath  so  overwhelmed  me  that  excess        o  Of  pleasure    from   mine  eyes 

draws  gouts  of  brine  : 
Tears,  O  mine  eyes,  have  now  become  your  wont  o  Ye  weep  for  pleasure  and 

you  weep  for  pine  1 

They  sat  awhile  at  the  litter-door  till  she  said  to  him,  "  Come  with 
me  into  the  litter  and  tell  me  all  that  hath  befallen  thee,  and  I  will 
tell  thee  what  happened  to  me."  So  they  entered  and  Zau  al-Makan 
said,  "  Do  thou  begin  thy  tale."  Accordingly  she  told  him  all 
that  had  come  to  her  since  their  separation  at  the  Khan  and  what 
had  happened  to  her  with  the  Badawi ;  how  the  merchant  had 
bought  her  of  him  and  had  taken  her  to  her  brother  Sharrkan  and 
had  sold  her  to  him  ;  how  he  had  freed  her  at  the  time  of  buying  ; 
how  he  had  made  a  marriage-contract  with  her  and  had  gone  in  to 
her  and  how  the  King,  their  sire,  had  sent  and  asked  for  her  from 
Sharrkan.  Then  quoth  she,  "  Praised  be  Allah  who  hath  vouch- 
safed thee  to  me  and  ordained  that,  even  as  we  left  our  father 
together,  so  together  shall  we  return  to  him ! "  And  she  added, 
"  Of  a  truth  my  brother  Sharrkan  gave  me  in  marriage  to  this 
Chamberlain  that  he  might  carry  me  to  my  father.  And  this  is 
what  befel  me  from  first  to  last ;  so  now  tell  me  how  it  hath  fared 
with  thee  since  I  left  thee."  Thereupon  he  told  her  all  that  had 
happened  to  him  from  beginning  to  end  ;  and  how  Allah  vouchsafed 
to  send  the  Fireman  to  him,  and  how  he  had  journeyed  with  him 
and  spent  his  money  on  him  and  had  served  him  night  and  day. 
She  praised  the  Stoker  for  this  and  Zau  al-Makan  added,  "  Of  a 
truth,  O  my  sister,  this  Fireman  hath  dealt  with  me  in  such  bene- 
volent wise  as  would  not  lover  with  lass  nor  sire  with  son,  for  that 
he  fasted  and  gave  me  to  eat,  and  he  walked  whilst  he  made  me 
ride  ;  and  I  owe  my  life  to  him."  Said  she, "  Allah  willing,  we  will 
requite  him  for  all  this,  according  to  our  power."  Then  she  called 


1  From  Bui.  Edit,  i.  186.    The  couplet  in  the  Mac.  Edit.  i.  457  is  verjr  wildly 
applied. 


1 88  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

the  Eunuch,  who  came  and  kissed  Zau  al-Makan's  hand,  and  she 
said,  "  Take  thy  reward  for  glad  tidings,  O  face  of  good  omen !  It 
was  thy  hand  reunited  me  with  my  brother ;  so  the  purse  I  gave 
thee  and  all  in  it  are  thine.  But  now  go  to  thy  master  and  bring 
him  quickly  to  me."  The  Castrato  rejoiced  and,  going  in  to  the 
Chamberlain,  summoned  him  to  his  mistress.  Accordingly,  he 
came  in  to  his  wife  and  finding  Zau  al-Makan  with  her,  asked  who 
he  was.  So  she  told  him  all  that  had  befallen  them  both,  first  and 
last,  and  added,  "  Know,  O  Chamberlain,  that  thou  hast  married 
no  slave-girl ;  far  from  it,  thou  hast  taken  to  wife  the  daughter  of 
King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  for  I  am  Nuzhat  al-Zaman,  and  this  is 
my  brother,  Zau  al-Makan."  When  the  Chamberlain  heard  the 
story  he  knew"  it  to  be  sooth,  and  its  manifest  truth  appeared  to 
him  and  he  was  certified  that  he  was  become  King  Omar  bin 
al-Nu'uman's  son-in-law,  so  he  said  to  himself,  "  'Twill  be  my  fate 
to  be  made  viceroy  of  some  province."  Then  he  went  up  to  Zau 
al-Makan  clnd  gave  him  joy  of  his  safety  and  re-union  with  his 
sister,  and  bade  his  servants  forthwith  make  him  ready  a  tent  and 
one  of  the  best  of  his  own  horses  to  ride.  Thereupon  said  Nuzhat 
al-Zaman,  "  We  are  now  near  our  country  and  I  would  be  left  alone 
with  my  brother,  that  we  may  enjoy  each  other's  company  and 
take  our  fill  of  it  ere  we  reach  Baghdad  ;  for  we  have  been  parted 
a  long,  long  time."  "  Be  it  as  thou  biddest,"  replied  the  Chamber- 
lain, and,  going  forth  from  them,  sent  them  wax-candles  and  various 
kinds  of  sweetmeats,  together  with  three  suits  of  the  costliest  for 
Zau  al-Makan.  Then  he  returned  to  the  litter  and  related  the 
good  he  had  done  and  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  said  to  him,  "  Bid  the 
Eunuch  bring  me  the  Fireman  and  give  him  a  horse  to  ride  and 
ration  him  with  a  tray  of  food  morning  and  evening,  and  let  him 
be  forbidden  to  leave  us."  The  Chamberlain  called  the  Castrato 
and  charged  him  to  do  accordingly  ;  so  he  replied,  "  I  hear  and  I 
obey ; "  and  he  took  his  pages  with  him  and  went  out  in  search  of 
the  Stoker  till  he  found  him  in  the  rear  of  the  caravan,  girthing  his 
ass  and  preparing  for  flight.  The  tears  were  running  adown  his 
cheeks,  out  of  fear  for  his  life  and  grief  for  his  separation  from  Zau 
al-Makan  ;  and  he  was  saying  to  himself,  "  Indeed,  I  warned  him 
for  the  love  of  Allah,  but  he  would  not  listen  to  me  ;  Oh  would  I 
knew  what  is  become  of  him ! "  Ere  he  had  done  speaking  the 
Eunuch  was  standing  by  his  head  whilst  the  pages  surrounded  him. 

1  The  "  insula  "  of  Sancho  Panza. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       189 

The  Fireman  turned  and  seeing  the  Eunuch  and  the  pages  gathered 

around  him  became  yellow  with  fear And  Shahrazad  perceived 

the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


fo&en  it  foas  tfte  Sfeebewg-st'xt!)  Ni'gbt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  the 
Stoker  girthed  his  ass  for  flight  and  bespake  himself,  saying,  "  Oh 
would  I  knew  what  is  become  of  him  ! "  ;  ere  he  had  done  speak- 
ing the  Castrato  was  standing  by  his  head  and  his  side-muscles 
quivered  for  fear  and  he  lifted  up  his  voice  and  cried,  "  Verily  he 
knoweth  not  the  value  of  the  good  offices  I  have  done  him  !  I 
believe  he  hath  denounced  me  to  the  Eunuch  (hence  these  pages 
get  about  me)  and  he  hath  made  me  an  accomplice  in  his  crime." 
Then  the  effeminated  one  cried  at  him,  saying, "Who  was  it  recited 
the  verses  ?  O  liar  !  why  didst  thou  say  : — I  never  repeated  these 
couplets,  nor  do  I  know  who  repeated  them  ;  when  it  was  thy  com- 
panion ?  But  now  I  will  not  leave  thee  between  this  place  and 
Baghdad,  and  what  betideth  thy  comrade  shall  betide  thee." 
Quoth  the  Fireman,  "  What  I  feared  hath  befallen  me."  And  he 
repeated  this  couplet  : — 

Twas  as  I  feared  the  coming  ills  discerning :    o  But  unto  Allah  we  are  all 
returning. 

Then  the  Eunuch  cried  upon  the  pages,  saying,  "  Take  him  off  the 
ass."  So  they  carried  him  along  with  the  caravan,  surrounded  by 
the  pages,  as  the  white  contains  the  black  of  the  eye ;  and  the 
Castrato  said  to  them,  "  If  a  hair  of  him  be  lost,  you  will  be  lost 
with  it."  And  he  bade  them  privily  treat  him  with  honour  and 
not  humiliate  him.  But  when  the  Stoker  saw  himself  beset  by  the 
pages,  he  despaired  of  his  life  and  turning  to  the  Eunuch,  said  to 
him,  "  O  Chief,  I  am  neither  this  youth's  brother  nor  am  I  akin  to 
him,  nor  is  he  sib  to  me ;  but  I  was  a  Fireman  in  a  Hammam  and 
found  him  cast  out,  in  his  sickness,  on  the  dung-heap."  Then  the 
caravan  fared  on  and  the  Stoker  wept  and  imagined  in  himself  a 
thousand  things,  whilst  the  Eunuch  walked  by  his  side  and  told 
him  nothing,  but  said  to  him,  "  Thou  disturbedst  our  mistress  by 
reciting  verses,  thou  and  this  youth  :  but  fear  nothing  for  thyself ;" 
and  kept  laughing  at  him  the  while  to  himself.  Whenever  the 
caravan  halted,  they  served  him  with  food,  and  he  and  the  Castrato 


190  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

ate  from  one  dish.1  Then  the  Eunuch  bade  his  lads  bring  a  gugglet 
of  sugared  sherbet  and,  after  drinking  himself,  gave  it  to  the  Fire- 
man, who  drank  ;  but  all  the  while  his  tears  never  dried,  out  of 
fear  for  his  life  and  grief  for  his  separation  from  Zau  al-Makan 
and  for  what  had  befallen  them  in  their  strangerhood.  So  they 
both  travelled  on  with  the  caravan,  whilst  the  Chamberlain  now 
rode  by  the  door  of  his  wife's  litter,  in  attendance  on  Zau  al- 
Makan  and  his  sister,  and  now  gave  an  eye  to  the  Fireman  ;  and 
Nuzhat  al-Zaman  and  her  brother  occupied  themselves  with  con- 
verse and  mutual  condolence ;  and  they  ceased  not  after  this 
fashion  till  they  came  within  three  days'  journey  from  Baghdad. 
Here  they  alighted  at  eventide  and  rested  till  the  morning  mor-' 
rowed  ;  and  as  they  awoke  and  they  were  about  to  load  the 
beasts,  behold,  there  appeared  afar  off  a  great  cloud  of  dust  that 
darkened  the  firmament  till  it  became  black  as  gloomiest  night 2 
Thereupon  the  Chamberlain  cried  out  to  them,  "  Stay,  and  your 
loading  delay !  "  ;  then,  mounting  with  his  Mamelukes,  rode  for- 
ward in  the  direction  of  the  dust-cloud.  When  they  drew  near, 
suddenly  appeared  under  it  a.  numerous  conquering  host  like  the 
full-tide  sea,  with  flags  and  standards,  drums  and  kettledrums, 
horsemen  and  footmen.  The  Chamberlain  marvelled  at  this  ;  and 
when  the  troops  saw  him,  there  detached  itself  from  amongst  them 
a  plump  of  five  hundred  cavaliers,  who  fell  upon  him  and  his  suite 
and  surrounded  them,  five  for  one ;  whereupon  said  he  to  them, 
"  What  is  the  matter  and  what  are  these  troops,  that  ye  do  this 
with  us  ? "  Asked  they,  "  Who  art  thou ;  and  whence  comest 
thou,  and  whither  art  thou  bound  ? "  and  he  answered,  "  I  am 
the  Chamberlain  of  the  Emir  of  Damascus,  King  Sharrkan,  son 
of  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  Lord  of  Baghdad  and  of  the  land  of 
Khorasan,  and  I  bring  tribute  and  presents  from  him  to  his 
father  in  Baghdad."  When  the  horsemen  heard  his  words  they 
let  their  head-kerchiefs  fall  over  their  faces  and  wept,  saying, 
"  In  very  sooth  King  Omar  is  dead  and  he  died  not  but  of  poison. 
So  fare  ye  forwards;  no  harm  shall  befal  you  till  you  join  his 
Grand  Wazir,  Dandan."  Now  when  the  Chamberlain  heard  this,' 
he  wept  sore  and  exclaimed,  "  Oh  for  our  disappointment  in  this 
our  journey  !  "  Then  he  and  all  his  suite  wept  till  they  had  come 


1  This  should  have  assured  him  that  he  stood  in  no  danger. 

*  Here  ends  the  wearisome  tale  of  the  brother  and  sister  and  the  romance  of  chivalry 
begins  once  more  with  the  usual  Arab  digressions., 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nituman  and  his  Sons.,      191 

tip  with  the  host  and  sought  access  to  the  Wazir  Dandan,  who 
granted  an  interview  and  called  a  halt  and,  causing  his  pavilion  to 
be  pitched,  sat  down  on  a  couch  therein  and  commanded  to  admit 
the  Chamberlain.  Then  he  bade  him  be  seated  and  questioned 
him ;  and  he  replied  that  he  was  Chamberlain  to  the  Emir  of 
Damascus  and  was  bound  to  King  Omar  with  presents  and  the 
tribute  of  Syria.  The  Wazir,  hearing  the  mention  of  King  Omar's 
name,  wept  and  said,  "  King  Omar  is  dead  by  poison,  and  upon 
his  dying  the  folk  fell  out  amongst  themselves  as  to  who  should 
succeed  him,  until  they  were  like  to  slay  one  another  on  this 
account;  but  the  notables  and  grandees  and  the  four  Kazis  inter- 
posed and  all  the  people  agreed  to  refer  the  matter  to  the  decision 
of  the  four  judges  and  that  none  should  gainsay  them.  So  it  was 
agreed  that  we  go  to  Damascus  and  fetch  thence  the  King's  son> 
Sharrkan,  and  make  him  Sultan  over  his  father's  realm.  And 
amongst  them  were  some  who  would  have  chosen  the  cadet,  Zau 
al-Makan,  for,  quoth  they,  his  name  be  Light  of  the  Place,  and  he 
hath  a  sister  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  hight,  the  Delight  of  the  Time  ; 
out  they  set  out  five  years  ago  for  Al-Hijaz  and  none  wotteth  what 
is  become  of  them."  When  the  Chamberlain  heard  this,  he  knew 
that  his  wife  had  told  him  the  truth  of  her  adventures ;  and  he 
grieved  with  sore  grief  for  the  death  of  King  Omar,  albeit  he 
joyed  with  exceeding  joy,  especially  at  the  arrival  of  Zau  al- 
Makan,  for  that  he  would  now  become  Sultan  of  Baghdad  in  his 

father's  stead. And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and 

ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 

Nofo  fofctn  it  foas  tfte  Sbd>nttrj-g£bcnt{)  Nig&t, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when 
Sharrkan's  Chamberlain  heard  of  the  death  of  King  Omar  bin 
al-Nu'uman  he  mourned,  but  he  rejoiced  because  of  his  wife  and 
her  brother  Zau  al-Makan  who  would  become  Sultan  of  Baghdad 
in  his  father's  stead.  So  he  turned  to  the  Wazir  Dandan  and  said 
to  him,  "  Verily  your  tale  is  a  wonder  of  wonders  !  Know,  O  Chief 
Wazir,  that  here,  where  you  have  encountered  me,  Allah  hath  given 
you  rest  from  fatigue  and  bringeth  you  your  desire  after  the  easiest 
of  fashions,  for  that  His  Almighty  Will  restoreth  to  you  Zau  al- 
Makan  and  his  sister  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  ;  whereby  we  will  settle 
the  matter  as  we  easily  can."  When  the  Minister  heard  these 


192  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

words  he  rejoiced  with  great  joy  and  said,  "  O  Chamberlain,  tell 
me  the  tale  of  the  twain  and  what  befel  them  and  the  cause  of 
their  long  absence."  So  he  repeated  to  him  the  whole  story  and 
told  him  that  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  was  his  wife  and  related  to  him 
the  adventures  of  Zau  al-Makan  from  first  to  last.  As  soon  as  he 
had  ended  his  tale,  the  Wazir  sent  for  the  Emirs  and  Wazirs  and 
Chief  Officers  and  acquainted  them  with  the  matter ;  whereat  they 
rejoiced  with  great  joy  and  wondered  at  the  happy  chance.  Then 
they  gathered  in  a  body  and  went  in  to  the  Chamberlain  and  did 
their  service  to  him,  kissing  the  ground  between  his  hands  ;  and 
the  Wazir  Dandan  also  rose  and  went  out  to  meet  him  and  stood 
before  him  in  honour.  After  this,  the  Chamberlain  held  on  that 
day  a  Divan-council  ;  and  he  and  the  Wazir  sat  upon  a  throne, 
whilst  all  the  Emirs  and  Grandees  and  Officers  of  State  took  their 
places  before  them,  according  to  their  several  ranks.1  Then  they 
melted  sugar  in  rose-water  and  drank,  after  which  the  Emirs  sat 
down  to  hold  council  and  permitted  the  rest  of  the  host  to  mount 
and  ride  forward  leisurely,  till  they  should  make  an  end  of  their 
debate  and  overtake  them.  So  the  officers  kissed  the  ground 
between  their  hands  and  mounting,  rode  onwards,  preceded  by 
the  standards  of  war.  When  the  grandees  had  finished  their  con- 
ference, they  took  horse  and  rejoined  the  host ;  and  the  Chamber- 
lain approached  the  Wazir  Dandan  and  said, "  I  deem  it  well  to  ride 
on  before  you,  and  precede  you,  that  I  may  get  ready  a  place  for  the 
Sultan  and  notify  him  of  your  coming  and  of  your  choosing  him 
as  Sultan  over  the  head  of  his  brother  Sharrkan."  "  Aright  thou 
reckest,"  answered  the  Wazir.  Then  the  Chamberlain  rose  up  in 
haste  and  Dandan  also  stood  up  to  do  him  honour  and  brought 
him  presents,  which  he  conjured  him  to  accept.  In  similar  guise 
did  all  the  Emirs  and  Grandees  and  Officers  of  State,  bringing 
him  gifts  and  calling  down  blessings  on  him  and  saying  to  him, 
"  Haply  thou  wilt  mention  our  case  to  Sultan  Zau  al-Makan  and 
speak  to  him  to  continue  us  in  our  dignities."  2  The  Chamberlain 
promised  all  they  required  and  bade  his  pages  be  ready  to  march, 
whereupon  the  Wazir  Dandan  sent  with  him  tents  and  bade  the 
tent-pitchers  set  them  up  at  a  day's  journey  from  the  city.  And 
they  did  his  bidding.  Then  the  Chamberlain  mounted  and  rode 
forward,  full  of  joy  and  saying  to  himself,  "  How  blessed  is  this 

•  I  have  derived  this  word  from  the  Persian"  rang  "  =  colour,  hue,  kind. 

*  Otherwise  all  would  be  superseded,  like  U.  S.  officials  under  a  new  President. 


Ta/e  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.       193 

journey  !  " ;  and  indeed  his  wife  was  exalted  in  his  eyes,  she  and 
her  brother  Zau  al-Makan.  They  made  all  haste  over  their 
way  fare,  till  they  reached  a  place  distant  a  day's  journey  from 
Baghdad,  where  the  Chamberlain  called  a  halt  for  rest,  and  bade 
his  men  alight  and  make  ready  a  sitting  place  for  the  Sultan  Zau 
al-Makan,  son  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  while  he  rode  for- 
ward with  his  Mamelukes  and,  alighting  at  a  distance  from  Nuzhat 
al-Zaman's  litter,  commanded  the  eunuchs  to  ask  leave  of  admis- 
sion to  the  presence.  They  did  so  and  she  gave  permission  ; 
whereupon  he  went  in  to  her  and  conversed  with  her  and  her 
brother  ;  and  told  them  of  the  death  of  their  father ;  and  of  Zau 
al-Makan,  how  the  heads  of  the  people  had  made  him  King  over 
them  in  the  stead  of  his  sire ;  and  he  gave  them  joy  of  the  king- 
dom. They  both  wept  for  their  father  and  asked  the  manner  of 
his  being  killed  ;  but  the  Chamberlain  answered,  "  The  news  rests 
with  the  Wazir  Dandan  who  will  be  here  to-morrow  leading  all  the 
host ;  and  it  only  remaineth  for  thee,  O  King,  to  do  what  they 
counsel,  since  they  have  unanimously  chosen  thee  Sultan  ;  for  if 
thou  do  not  this,  they  will  choose  some  one  else  and  thou  canst 
not  be  sure  of  thy  life  with  another  Sultan.  Haply  he  will  kill 
thee,  or  discord  may  befal  between  you  twain  and  the  kingdom 
pass  out  of  the  hands  of  both."  Zau  al-Makan  bowed  his  head 
awhile  and  then  said,  "I  accept  this  position;"  for  indeed 
there  was  no  refusing  ;  and  he  was  certified  that  the  Chamberlain 
had  counselled  him  well  and  wisely  and  set  him  on  the  right  way. 
Then  he  added,  "  O  my  uncle,  how  shall  I  do  with  my  brother 
Sharrkan  ?  "  "  O  my  son,"  replied  the  Chamberlain,  "  thy  brother 
will  be  Sultan  of  Damascus  and  thou  Sultan  of  Baghdad  ;  so  take 
heart  of  grace  and  get  ready  thy  case."  Zau  al-Makan  accepted 
this  and  the  Chamberlain  presented  him  with  a  suit  of  royal 
raiment  and  a  dagger l  of  state,  which  the  Wazir  Dandan  had 
brought  with  him  ;  then  leaving  him  he  bade  the  tent-pitchers 
choose  a  spot  of  rising  ground  and  set  up  thereon  a  spacious 
pavilion,  wherein  the  Sultan  might  sit  to  receive  the  Emirs  and 
Grandees.  Moreover  he  ordered  the  kitcheners  to  cook  rich  viands 
and  serve  them  and  he  commanded  the  water-carriers  to  dispose 
the  water-troughs.  They  did  as  he  bade  them  and  presently  arose 
a  cloud  of  dust  from  the  ground  and  spread  till  it  walled  the 

1  Arab.  "  Nimshah  "  from  the  Pers.  Nimchah,  a  "  half-sword,"  a  long  dagger 
iu  the  belt.     Richardson  derives  it  from  Namsh,  being  freckled  (damasked). 

VOL.   II.  N 


194  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

horizon  round.  After  awhile,  the  dust  dispersed  and  there  appeared 
under  it  the  army  of  Baghdad  and  Khorasan,  a  conquering  host 

like  the  full-tide  sea. And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of 

day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


Nofo  to&en  tt  tons  tjje  Sbetont^rigM  Nt'gfrt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  the 
Chamberlain  bade  the  tent-pitchers  set  up  a  pavilion  spacious 
enough  to  receive  the  subjects  flocking  to  their  Sultan,  they 
planted  a  splendid  Shahmiyanah1  befitting  Kings.  And  as  they 
ended  their  labours  behold,  a  dust  cloud  spired  aloft  and  the 
breeze  made  it  lift  and  beneath  it  showed  a  conquering  host;  and 
presently  it  appeared  that  this  was  the  army  of  Baghdad  and 
Khorasan  preceded  by  the  Wazir  Dandan.  And  in  it  all  rejoiced 
at  the  accesssion  of  the  "  Light  of  the  Place."  Now  Zau  al-Makan 
had  donned  robes  of  royal  estate  and  girt  himself  with  the  sword 
of  state:  so  the  Chamberlain  brought  him  a  steed  and  he  mounted, 
surrounded  by  the  Mamelukes  and  all  the  company  from  the  tents 
on  foot,  to  do  him  service,  and  he  rode  on  until  he  came  to  the 
great  pavilion,  where  he  sat  down  and  he  laid  the  royal  dagger 
across  his  thighs,  whilst  the  Chamberlain  stood  in  attendance  on 
him  and  his  armed  slaves  stationed  themselves  under  the  entrance- 
awning  of  the  Shahmiyanah,  with  drawn  swords  in  their  hands. 
Presently,  up  came  the  troops  and  the  host  and  craved  admission  J 
so  the  Chamberlain  went  in  to  Zau  al-Makan  and  asked  his  leave, 
whereupon  he  bade  admit  them,  ten  by  ten.  The  Chamberlain 
acquainted  them  with  the  King's  commands,  to  which  they  replied, 
"We  hear  and  we  obey;"  and  all  drew  up  before  the  pavilion- 
entrance.  Then  he  took  ten  of  them  and  carried  them  through 
the  vestibule  into  the  presence  of  Sultan  Zau  al-Makan,  whom 
when  they  saw,  they  were  awed  ;  but  he  received  them  with  most 
gracious  kindness  and  promised  them  all  good.  So  they  gave  him 
joy  of  his  safe  return  and  invoked  Allah's  blessings  upon  him, 
after  which  they  took  the  oath  of  fealty  never  to  gainsay  him  in 
aught  and  they  kissed  ground  before  him  and  withdrew.  Then 
other  ten  entered  and  he  entreated  them  as  he  had  entreated  the 
others  ;  and  they  ceased  not  to  enter,  ten  by  ten,  till  none  was  left 

1  The  Indian  term  for  a  tent  large  enough  to  cover  a  troop  of  cavalry. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.       195 

but  the  Wazir  Dandan.  Lastly  the  Minister  went  in  and  kissed 
the  ground  before  Zau  al-Makan,  who  rose  to  meet  him,  saying, 
"  Welcome,  O  Wazir  and  sire  sans  peer !  Verily,  thine  acts  are 
those  of  a  counsellor  right  dear,  and  judgement  and  foreseeing 
clear  are  in  the  hands  of  the  Subtle  of  Lere."  Then  bade  he  the 
Chamberlain  forthwith  go  out  and  cause  the  tables  to  be  spread 
and  order  all  the  troops  thereto.  So  they  came  and  ate  and 
drank.  Moreover  the  Sultan  commanded  his  Wazir  Dandan  call 
a  ten  days'  halt  of  the  army,  that  he  might  be  private  with  him 
and  learn  from  him  how  and  wherefore  his  father  had  been  slain. 
The  Wazir  obeyed  the  commands  of  the  Sultan  with  submission 
and  wished  him  eternity  of  glory  and  said,  "  This  needs  must  be  ! " 
He  then  repaired  to  the  heart  of  the  encampment  and  ordered  the 
host  to  halt  ten  days.  They  did  as  he  bade  them  and,  moreover, 
he  gave  them  leave  to  divert  themselves  and  ordered  that  none  of 
the  lords  in  waiting  should  attend  upon  the  King  for  service  during 
the  space  of  three  days.  Then  the  Wazir  went  to  the  Sultan  and 
reported  all  to  him,  and  Zau  al-Makan  waited  until  nightfall,  when 
he  went  in  to  his  sister  Nuzhat  al-Zaman  and  asked  her,  "  Dost 
thou  know  the  cause  of  my  father's  murder  or  not  ?  "  "I  have  no 
knowledge  of  the  cause,"  she  answered,  and  drew  a  silken  curtain 
before  herself,  whilst  Zau  al-Makan  seated  himself  without  the 
curtain  and  commanded  the  Wazir  to  the  presence  and,  when  he 
came,  said  to  him,  "  I  desire  thou  relate  to  me  in  detail  the  cause 
of  the  killing  of  my  sire,  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman!"  Know 
then,  O  King,  replied  Dandan,  that  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman, 
when  he  returned  to  Baghdad  from  his  chasing  and  hunting  and 
entered  the  city,  enquired  for  thcc  and  thy  sister,  but  could  not 
find  you  and  knew  that  you  twain  had  gone  on  the  Pilgrimage ; 
whereat  he  was  greatly  grieved  and  much  angered,  and  his  breast 
was  straitened  and  he  abode  thus  half  a  year,  seeking  news  of  you 
from  all  who  came  and  went,  but  none  could  give  him  any  tidings. 
Now  while  we  were  in  attendance  upon  him  one  day,  after  a  whole 
year  had  sped  since  ye  were  lost  to  his  sight,  lo !  there  came  to  us 
an  ancient  dame  with  signs  of  being  a  devotee,  accompanied  by 
five  damsels,  high-bosomed  virgins  like  moons,  endowed  with  such 
beauty  and  loveliness  as  tongue  faileth  to  describe ;  and,  to  crown 
their  perfections  of  comeliness,  they  could  read  the  Koran  and 
were  versed  in  various  kinds  of  learning  and  in  the  histories  of 
bygone  peoples.  Then  that  old  woman  sought  audience  of  the 
King,  and  he  bade  admit  her;  whereupon  she  entered  the  presence 


196  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

and  kissed  the  ground  between  his  hands.  I  was  then  sitting 
by  his  side  and  he,  seeing  in  her  the  signs  of  asceticism  and 
devoutness,  made  her  draw  near  and  take  seat  hard  by  him.  And 
when  she  had  sat  down  she  addressed  him  and  said,  "  Know,  O 
King,  that  with  me  are  five  damsels,  whose  like  no  King  among 
the  Kings  possesseth ;  for  they  are  endowed  with  wit  and  beauty 
and  loveliness  and  perfection.  They  read  the  Koran  and  the 
Traditions  and  are  skilled  in  all  manner  of  learning  and  in  the 
history  of  bygone  races.  They  stand  here  between  thy  hands  to 
do  thee  service,  O  King  of  the  Age,  and  it  is  by  trial  that  folk  are 
prized  or  despised."  Thy  father,  who  hath  found  mercy  ; l  looked 
at  the  damsels  and  their  favour  pleased  him  ;  so  he  said  to  them, 
*'  Let  each  and  every  of  you  make  me  hear  something  of  what  she 
knoweth  anent  the  history  of  the  folk  of  yore  and  of  peoples  long 

gone  before  !  " And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and 

ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


Nofo  fo&cn  tt  foas  tfie  Sb*bentg--nint|)  Kigjt, 


She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  Wazir 
Dandan  said  unto  King  Zau  al-Makan  :  —  Thy  father,  who  hath 
found  mercy,  glanced  at  the  damsels  and  their  favour  pleased  him 
and  he  said  to  them,  "  Let  each  and  every  of  you  make  me  hear 
something  of  what  she  knoweth  anent  the  history  of  the  folk  of 
yore  and  of  peoples  long  gone  before  !  "  Thereupon  one  of  them 
came  forward  and,  kissing  the  ground  before  him,  spake  as  follows.2 
"  Know,  O  King,  that  it  behoveth  one  of  good-breeding  to  eschew 
impertinence  and  adorn  himself  with  excellencies,  and  observe  the 
Divine  injunctions  and  avoid  mortal  sins  ;  and  to  this  he  should 
apply  himself  with  the  assiduity  of  one  who,  if  he  stray  therefrom, 
falleth  into  perdition  ;  for  the  foundation  of  good  breeding  is 
virtuous  behaviour.  And  know  that  the  chief  cause  and  reason  of 
man's  existence  is  the  endeavour  after  life  everlasting,  and  the  right 
way  thereto  is  the  service  of  Allah.  Wherefore  it  behoveth  thee  to 
deal  beneficently  with  the  people  :  and  swerve  not  from  this  canon, 


1  Arab.  "  Marhum"  a  formula  before  noticed.     It  is  borrowed  from  the  Jewish,  "  of 
blessed  memory  "  (after  the  name  of  the  honoured  dead,  Prov.  x.  17.) ;  with  the  addition 
of  "upon  whom  be  peace,"  as  opposed  to  the  imprecation,  "May  the  name  of  the 
wicked  rot ! " 

2  The  speeches  of  the  five  damsels  should  be  read  only  by  students. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       197 

for  the  mightier  men  are  in  dignity,  the  more  their  need  of 
prudence  and  foresight ;  and  indeed  Monarchs  need  this  more  than 
the  many,  for  the  general  cast  themselves  into  affairs,  without 
taking  thought  to  the  issue  thereof.  Be  thou  prodigal  of  thy  life 
and  thy  good  in  the  way  of  Allah,  and  know  that,  if  an  enemy 
dispute  with  thee,  thou  mayst  dispute  with  him  and  refute  him  with 
proofs  and  be  proof  against  him  ;  but  as  for  thy  friend,  there  is 
none  can  judge  between  thee  and  him  save  righteousness  and  fair- 
dealing.  Choose,  therefore,  thy  friend  for  thyself,  after  thou  hast 
proved  him.  If  he  be  of  the  brotherhood  of  futurity,1  let  him  be 
zealous  in  observing  the  externals  of  the  Holy  Law  and  versed  in- 
its  inner  meaning,  as  far  as  may  be  ;  and  if  he  be  of  the  brother- 
hood of  the  world,  let  him  be  free-born,  sincere,  neither  a  fool  nor 
a  perverse,  for  the  fool  man  is  such  that  even  his  parents  might 
well  flee  from  him,  and  a  liar  cannot  be  a  true  friend.  Indeed 
the  word,  Siddfk 2  ('  friend  ')  deriveth  from  Sidk  ('  truth ')  that 
welleth  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  heart ;  and  how  can  this  be  the 
case,  when  falsehood  is  manifest  upon  the  tongue  ?  And  know, 
that  the  observance  of  the  Law  profiteth  him  who  practiseth  it :  so 
love  thy  brother,  if  he  be  of  this  quality  and  do  not  cast  him  off, 
evert  if  thou  see  in  him  that  which  irketh  thee,  for  a  friend  is  not 
like  a  wife,  whom  one  can  divorce  and  re-marry  :  nay,  his  heart  is 
like  glass  :  once  broken,  it  may  not  be  mended.  And  Allah  bless 
him  who  saith  : — 

Ware  how  thou  hurtest  man  with  hurt  of  heart ;  o  Tis  hard  to  win  thee  back 

the  heart  offended  : 
For  hearts  indeed,  whence  love  is  alien  made,  o  Like    broken-glass     may 

nevermore  be  mended." 

The  maiden  continued  and  concluded  with  pointing  out  to  us  what 
sages  say,  "  The  best  of  brethren  is  he  who  is  the  most  constant  in 
good  counsel ;  the  best  of  action  is  that  which  is  fairest  in  its  con- 
sequence, and  the  best  of  praise  is  not  that  which  is  in  the  mouths 
of  men.  It  is  also  said : — It  behoveth  not  the  servant  to  neglect 
thanking  Allah  especially  for  two  favours,  health  and  reason. 
Again  it  is  said : — Whoso  honoureth  himself,  his  lust  is  a  light 
matter  to  him,  and  he  who  maketh  much  of  his  small  troubles, 


1  i.e.  Those  who  look  for  "  another  and  a  better." 

2  The  title  of  Caliph  Abu  Bakr  because  he  bore  truthful  witness  to  the  Apostlc'i 
mission  or,  others  say,  he  confirmed  the  "  Mi'raj  "  or  nocturnal  journey  to  Heaven. 


1 98  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

Allah  afflicteth  him  with  the  greater ;  he  who  obeyeth  his  own 
inclination  neglecteth  his  duties  and  he  who  listeneth  to  the 
slanderer  loseth  the  true  friend.  He  who  thinketh  well  of  thee,  do 
thou  fulfill  his  thought  of  thee.  He  who  exceedeth  in  contention 
sinneth,  and  he  who  against  unright  standeth  not  on  ward,  is  not 
safe  from  the  sword.  Now  will  I  tell  thee  somewhat  of  the  duties 
of  Kazis  and  judges.  Know,  O  King,  that  no  judgement  serveth 
the  cause  of  justice  save  it  be  given  after  proof  positive,  and  it 
behoveth  the  judge  to  treat  all  people  on  the  same  level,  to  the 
intent  that  the  great  may  not  hunger  for  oppression  nor  the  small 
despair  of  justice.  Furthermore  he  should  extract  proof  from  the 
complainant  and  impose  an  oath  upon  the  defendant ;  and  media- 
tion is  admissible  between  Moslems,  except  it  be  a  compromise 
sanctioning  the  unlawful  or  forbidding  the  lawful.1  If  thou  shalt 
have  done  aught  during  the  day,  of  which  thy  reason  is  doubtful 
but  thy  good  intention  is  proved,  thou  (O  Kazi)  shouldst  revert  to 
the  right,  for  to  do  justice  is  a  religious  obligation  and  to  return  to 
that  which  is  right  is  better  that  persistence  in  wrong.  Then  (O 
judge)  thou  shouldest  study  precedents  and  the  law  of  the  case 
and  do  equal  justice  between  the  suitors,  withal  fixing  thine  eyes 
upon  the  truth  and  committing  thine  affair  to  Allah  (be  He  extolled 
and  exalted  !).  And  require  thou  proof  of  the  complainant,  and  if 
he  adduce  evidence  let  him  have  due  benefit  of  it ;  and  if  not,  put 
the  defendant  to  his  oath ;  for  this  is  the  ordinance  of  Allah. 
Receive  thou  the  testimony  of  competent  Moslem  witnesses,  one 
against  other,  for  Almighty  Allah  hath  commanded  judges  to 
judge  by  externals,  He  Himself  taking  charge  of  the  inner  and 
secret  things.  It  behoveth  the  judge  also  to  avoid  giving  judge- 
ment, whilst  suffering  from  stress  of  pain  or  hunger,2  and  that  in 
his  decisions  between  folk  he  seek  the  face  of  Allah  Almighty, 
for  he  whose  intent  is  pure  and  who  is  at  peace  with  himself,  Allah 
shall  guarantee  him  against  what  is  between  him  and  the  people. 
Quoth  al-Zuhri 3 : — There  are  three  things  for  which,  if  they  be 
found  in  a  Kazi,  he  should  be  deposed  ;  namely,  if  he  honour  the 
base,  if  he  love  praise  and  if  he  fear  dismissal.  And  Omar  bin 
Abd  al-Aziz  once  deposed  a  Kazi,  who  asked  him,  Why  hast  thou 
dismissed  me  ?  It  hath  reached  me,  answered  Omar,  that  thy  con- 


1  All  this  is  Koranic  (chapt.  ii.,  etc.) 

2  This  may  have  applied  more  than  once  to  "  hanging  judges"  in  the  Far  West. 

*  A  traditionist  and  jurisconsult  of  Al-Mcdinah  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  centuries. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       199 

verse  is  greater  than  thy  condition.  It  is  said  also  that  Iskandar1 
said  to  his  Kazi : — I  have  invested  thee  with  this  function  and 
committed  to  thee  in  it  my  soul  and  mine  honour  and  my  manli- 
ness; so  do  thou  guard  it  with  thy  sense  and  thine  understanding. 
To  his  Cook  he  said,  Thou  art  the  Sultan  of  my  body ;  so  look 
thou  tender  it  as  thine  own  self.  To  his  Secretary  he  said,  Thou 
art  the  controller  of  my  wit :  so  do  thou  watch  over  me  in  what 
thou  writest  for  me  and  from  me"  Thereupon  the  first  damsel 
backed  out  from  the  presence  and  a  second  damsel  came  forward. 

And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say 

her  permitted  say. 


Noto  toljcn  (t  toas  tjjc  full  13igl)ttctf)  Xmljt, 

She  continued,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the 
Wazir  Dandan  said  to  Zau  al-Makan : — Thereupon  the  first 
damsel  backed  out  from  the  presence  and  a  second  damsel  came 
forward  and,  kissing  the  ground  seven  times  before  the  King  thy 
father,  spake  as  follows,  "  The  sage  Lukman*  said  to  his  son,  There 
be  three  who  are  known  only  in  three  several  cases ;  the  merciful 
man  is  unknown  save  in  time  of  wrath,  the  brave  only  in  battle,  and 
thy  friend  in  time  of  need.  It  is  said  that  the  oppressor  shall  be 
deprest  though  by  people  praised,  and  that  the  opprest  is  at  rest 
though  by  people  blamed.  Quoth  Allah  Almighty,3  Assuredly 
deem  not  that  those  who  rejoice  in  what  they  have  done,  and  who 
love  to  be  praised  for  what  they  have  not  done,  shall  escape 
reckoning  of  punishment :  indeed  there  is  reserved  for  them  a 
grievous  penalty.  And  he  said4  (on  whom  be  salvation  and  salu- 
tation !) : — Works  are  according  to  intention  and  to  each  man  is 
attributed  that  which  he  intendeth.  He  said  also : — In  the  body 
is  a  part  which  being  sound  the  rest  is  sound,  and  which  being 
unsound  the  whole  is  unsound.  And  this  is  the  heart.  Now  this 
heart  is  the  most  marvellous  of  what  is  in  man,  since  it  is  that 


1  The  Alexander  of  the  Koran  and  Eastern  legends  not  to  be  confounded  with  the 
Alexander  of  Macedon.  He  will  be  noticed  in  a  future  Night. 

3  /Esop,  according  to  the  Arabs:  of  him  or  rather  of  the  two  Lukmans,  more 
presently. 

3  Koran  ii.  185. 

4  Mohammed. 


-°°  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

which  ordereth  his  whole  affair :  If  covetise  stir  in  it,  desire  des- 
troyeth  him  ;  and  if  affliction  master  it,  anguish  slayeth  him ;  if 
anger  rage  in  it,  danger  is  hard  upon  him  ;  if  it  be  blest  with  con- 
tentment, he  is  safe  from  discontent ;  if  fear  surprise  it,  he  is  full 
of  mourning;  and  if  calamity  overtake  it,  affliction  betideth  him. 
If  a  man  gain  the  use  of  wealth,  peradventure  he  is  diverted 
thereby  from  the  remembrance  of  his  Lord  ;  if  poverty  choke  him, 
his  heart  is  distracted  by  woe,  or  if  disquietude  waste  his  heart, 
weakness  causeth  him  to  fall.  Thus,  in  any  case,  nothing  profiteth 
him  but  that  he  be  mindful  of  Allah  and  occupy  himself  with 
gaining  his  livelihood  in  this  world  and  securing  his  place  in  the 
next.  It  was  asked  of  a  certain  sage,  Who  is  the  most  ill-con- 
ditioned of  men  ? ;  and  he  answered,  The  man  whose  lusts  master 
"his  manhood  and  whose  mind  soareth  over  high,  so  that  his  know- 
ledge dispreadeth  and  his  excuse  diminisheth ;  and  how  excellently 
saith  the  poet : — 

Freest  am  I  of  all  mankind  fro*  meddling  wight    o  Who,  seeing  others  err. 

self-error  ne'er  can  sight : 
Riches  and  talents  are  but  loans  to  creature  lent ;  o  Each  wears   the  doalt 

of  that  he  bears  in  breast  and  sprite  r 
If  by  mistaken  door  attempt  on  aught  thou  make,  o  Thou  shalt  go  wrong; 

and  if  the  door  be  right,  go  right ! " 

Continued  the  maiden,  "  As  for  anecdotes  of  devotees,  quoth 
Hisham  bin  Bashar: — I  asked  Omar  bin  Ubayd,  What  is  true 
piety?-  and  he  answered,  The  Apostle  of  Allah  (to  whom  be 
salutation  and  salvation  !)  hath  explained  it  when  he  sayeth,  The 
pious  is  he  who  forgetteth  not  the  grave  nor  calamity  and  who 
preferreth  that  which  endureth  to  that  which  passeth  away ;  who 
counteth  not  the  morrow  as  of  his  days  but  reckoneth  himself 
among  the  dead.  And  it  is  related  that  Abu  Zarr1  used  to  say, 
Want  is  dearer  to  me  than  wealth,  and  unheal  is  dearer  to  me 
than  health.  Quoth  one  of  the  listeners,  May  Allah  have  mercy 
on  Abu  Zarr!  For  my  part,  I  say,  Whoso  putteth  his  trust  in  the 
goodness  of  the  election  of  Almighty  Allah  should  be  content 
with  that  condition  which  Allah  hath  chosen  for  him.  Quoth  one 
of  the  Companions  of  the  Prophet,  Ibn  Abi  Aufa2  once  prayed 
with  us  the  dawn-prayer.  When  he  had  done,  he  recited,  O  Thou 


1  One  of  the  Ashab  or  Companions  of  Mohammed. 
3  A  noted  traditionist  at  Cufa  in  the  seventh  century. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-NiSuman  and  his  Sons.       201 

Enwrapped !  *  till  he  came  to  where  Allah  saith,  When  there  shall 
be  a  trumping  on  the  trumpet,  and  fell  down  dead.  It  is  said  that 
Sabit  al-Bandni  wept  till  he  well-nigh  lost  his  eyes.  They  brought 
him  a  man  to  medicine  him  who  said  to  him,  I  will  cure  thee, 
provided  thou  obey  my  bidding.  Asked  Sabit,  In  what  matter  ? 
Quoth  the  leach,  In  that  thou  leave  weeping !  What  is  the 
worth  of  mine  eyes  ?,  rejoined  Sabit,  if  they  do  not  weep  ?  Quoth 

a  man  to  Mohammed  bin  Abdillah,  Exhort  thou  me ! " And 

Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  per- 
mitted say. 


Nofo  fojnt  ft  foag  tjje  lEfgfttg'first 

She  continued,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the 
Wazir  Dandan  said  to  Zau  al-Makan  : — Thus  spake  the  second 
handmaid  to  the  King  who  hath  found  mercy,  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman. 
"  Quoth  a  man  to  Mohammed  bin  Abdillah,  Exhort  thou  me !  I 
exhort  thee,  replied  he,  to  be  a  self-ruler,  an  abstainer  in  this  world, 
and  in  the  next  a  greedy  slave.  How  so  ?  asked  the  other  and 
Mohammed  answered,  The  abstinent  man  in  this  world  conquereth 
both  the  world  that  is  and  the  world  to  come.  And  quoth  Ghaus 
bin  Abdillah,  There  were  two  brothers  among  the  sons  of  Israel, 
one  of  whom  said  to  the  other,  What  be  the  most  perilous 2  thing 
thou  hast  done  ?  Replied  the  brother,  I  once  came  upon  a  nest  of 
young  birds  ;  so  I  took  out  one  and  threw  it  back  into  the  nest ; 
but  among  the  chickens  were  some  which  drew  apart  from  it. 
This  is  the  most  perilous  thing  I  ever  did  ;  now  what  be  the  most 
perilous  thing  thou  hast  ever  done  ?  He  rejoined,  When  I  arise 
for  prayer  I  am  fearful  that  it  is  only  for  the  sake  of  the  reward. 
Now  their  father  heard  these  words  and  exclaimed,  O  Allah,  an 
say  they  sooth  take  them  to  Thyself !  It  was  declared  by  one  of 
Ae  wise  men,  Verily,  these  were  of  the  most  virtuous  of  children 
Quoth  Sa'id  bin  Jubayr,3  I  was  once  in  company  with  Fuzalah 


1  Koran,  chapt.  ixxiv.  i  (and  verse  8  follows).     The  Archangel  Gabriel  is  supposed  to 
address  Mohammed  and  not  a  few  divines  believe  this  Surah  (chapter)  to  have  been  first 
revealed.     Mr.  Rodwell  makes  it  No.  ii.  following  the  Fatrah  or  silent  interval  which 
succeeded  No.  xcvi.  "  Clots  of  Blood."     See  his  2nd  Edit.  p.  3  for  further  details. 

2  i.e.  dangerous  to  soul-health. 

*  In  the  Mac.  Edit.  "  Abd  "  for  *4  Sa'id."    The  latter  was  a  black  and  a  native  of 
Cufa  during  the  first  century  (A.H.)  and  is  still  famous  as  a  traditionist. 


202  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

bin  'Ubayd  and  said  to  him,  Exhort  thou  me !  Replied  he,  Bear 
in  mind  these  two  necessaries,  Shun  syntheism  *  and  harm  not 
any  of  Allah's  creatures.  And  he  repeated  these  two  couplets  : — 

Be  as  thou  wilt,  for  Allah  still  is  bounteous  Lord,  o  And  care-dispeller  ;  dread 

not  therefore  bane  and  ban 
To  two  things  only  never  draw  thee  nigh,  nor  give  o  Partner  to  Allah,  trouble 

to  thy  brother-man. 

And  how  well  saith  the  poet : — 

An  thou  of  pious  works  a  store  neglect  o  And  after  death  meet  one  who  did 

collect, 
Thou  shalt  repent  thou  diddest  not  as  he,  o  Nor  madest  ready  as  he  did  elect" 

Then  the  third  damsel  came  forward,  after  the  second  had  with- 
drawn, and  said,  "  Of  a  truth,  the  chapter  of  piety  is  exceeding 
wide ;  but  I  will  mention  what  occurreth  to  me  thereof,  concerning 
the  pious  of  old.  Quoth  a  certain  holy  man,  I  congratulate  myself 
in  death,  though  I  am  not  assured  of  rest  therein,  save  that  I  know 
death  interveneth  between  a  man  and  his  works  ;  so  I  hope  for  the 
doubling  of  good  works  and  the  docking  off  of  ill  works.  And 
Ita'a  al-Salami,  when  he  had  made  an  end  of  an  exhortation,  was 
wont  to  tremble  and  grieve  and  weep  sore  ;  and  as  they  asked  him 
why  he  did  this  he  answered,  I  desire  to  enter  upon  a  grave  matter, 
and  it  is  the  standing  up  before  Almighty  Allah  to  do  in  accord- 
ance with  my  exhortation.  In  similar  guise  Zayn  al-Abidm,2  son 
of  Al-Husayn,  was  wont  to  tremble  when  he  rose  to  pray.  Being 
asked  the  cause  of  this5,  he  replied,  Know  ye  not  before  whom  I 
stand  and  whom  I  address  ?  It  is  said  that  there  lived  near  Sufyan 
al-Thauri 3  a  blind  man  who,  when  the  month  of  Ramazan  came, 
went  out  with  the  folk  to  pray, 4  but  remained  silent  and  hung 


1  Arab.  "Shirk,"  giving  a  partner  to  Allah,  attending   chiefly  to    Christians  and 
idolaters ;    and  in  a  minor  degree  to  Jews  and  Guebres.     We  usually  English  it  by 
"  polytheism,"  which  is  clumsy  and  conveys  a  wrong  idea. 

2  Grandson  of  the  Caliph  Ali.     He  is  one  of  the  Imams  (High-priests)  of  the  Shi'ah 
school. 

8  An  eminent  traditionist  of  the  eighth  century  (A.D.) 

4  The  prayers  of  the  Fast-month  and  Pilgrimage-month  are  often  said  in  especial 
places  outside  the  towns  and  cities  ;  these  are  the  Indian  Id(Eed-)gah.  They  have  a 
screen  of  wall  about  a  hundred  yards  long  with  a  central  prayer-niche  and  the  normal 
three  steps  for  the  preacher;  and  each  extremity  is  garnished  with  an  imitation  minaret. 
They  are  also  called  Namaz-gah  and  one  is  sketched  by  Herklots  (Plate  iii.  fig.  2). 
The  object  of  the  trips  thither  in  Zu'1-Ka'adah  and  ZuT-Hijjah  is  to  remind  Moslems 
of  the  "  Ta'arif,"  or  going  forth  from  Meccah  to  Mount  Arafat. 


Tale  of  King   Omar  bin  al-NuJuman  aud  his  Sons.       203 

back.  Said  Sufyan,  On  the  Day  of  Resurrection  he  shall  come 
with  the  people  of  the  Koran  and  they  will  be  distinguished  by 
increase  of  honour  from  their  fellows.  Quoth  Sufyan,  Were  the 
soul  established  in  the  heart  as  befitteth,  it  would  fly  away  for  joy 
and  pining  for  Paradise,  and  for  grief  and  fear  of  hell-fire.  It  is 
related  also  of  Sufyan  al-Thauri  that  he  said,  To  look  upon  the  face 
of  a  tyrant  is  a  sin,"  Then  the  third  damsel  retired  and  came  for- 
ward the  fourth,  who  said, "  Here  am  I  to  treat  of  sundry  traditions 
of  pious  men  which  suggest  themselves  to  me.  It  is  related  that 
Bishr  Barefoot !  said,  I  once  heard  KMlid  say,  Beware  of  secret 
polytheism.  I  asked,  What  may  secret  polytheism  be  ? ;  and  he 
answered,  When  one  of  you  in  praying  prolong  his  inclinations 
and  prostrations  till  a  cause  of  impurity 2  come  upon  him.  And 
one  of  the  sages  said,  Doing  works  of  weal  expiateth  what  is  ill. 
Quoth  Ibrahim,  *  I  supplicated  Bishr  Barefoot  to  acquaint  me  with 
some  theological  mysteries  ;  but  he  said,  O  my  son,  this  knowledge 
it  behoveth  us  not  to  teach  to  every  one  ;  of  every  hundred  five, 
even  as  the  legal  alms  upon  money.  Said  Ibrahim,  I  thought  his 
reply  excellent  and  approved  of  it  and  while  I  was  praying  behold, 
Bishr  was  also  praying:  so  I  stood  behind  him4  making  the 
prayer-bow  till  the  Mu'ezzin  called  his  call.  Then  rose  a  man  of 
tattered  appearance  and  said,  O  folk,  beware  of  a  truth  which 
bringeth  unweal,  for  there  is  no  harm  in  a  lie  bringing  weal,5  and  in 


1  Arab.  *'Al-Hafi,"  which  in  Egyptian  means  sore-footed  as  well.     He  was  an  ascetic 
of  the  eighth  and  ninth  centuries  ( A.D.).     He  relates  a  tradition  of  the  famous  soldier- 
saint  Khalid  bin  Walid  who  lies  buried  like  the  poet  Ka'ab  al-Ahbar  near  Hums  (Emessa) 
once  the  Bceotia,  Phrygia,  Abdera,  Suabia  of  Syria  now  Halbun  (pronounced  Halbaun) 
near  Damascus.     I  cannot  explain  how  this  Kuraysh  noble  (a  glorious  figure  in  Moslem 
history)  is  claimed  by  the  Afghans  as  one  of  their  countrymen  and  made  to  speak  Pukhtu 
or  Pushtu,  their  rough  old  dialect  of  Persian.     The  curious  reader  will  consult  my 
Pilgrimage  iii.  322  for  the  dialogue  between  Mohammed  and  Khalid.     Again  there  is 
general  belief  in  Arabia  that  the  English  sent  a  mission  to  the  Prophet,  praying  that 
Khalid  might  be  despatched  to  proselytise  them  :   unfortunately  Mohammed  was  dead 
and  the  "  Ingriz  "  ratted.     It  is  popularly  held  that  no  armed  man  can  approach  Khalid'* 
grave  ;  but  I  suppose  my  revolver  did  not  count. 

2  When  he  must  again  wash  before  continuing  prayer. 

3  Bin  Adham  ;  another  noted  ascetic  of  the  eighth  century.     Those  curious  about  these 
unimportant  names  will  consult  the  great  Biographical  Dictionary  of  Ibn  Khallikan, 
translated  by  Baron  MacGuckin  de  Slane  (1842-45). 

4  Thus  making  Bishr  the  "  Imam"  (antistes)  lit.  one  who  stands  in  front.     In  Koran 
xvii.  74  it  means  "  leader  "  :  in  ii.  118  Allah  makes  Abraham  an  "  Imam  to  mankind." 

6  A  favourite  sentiment  in  the  East  :   we  find  it  at  the  very  beginning  of   Sa'di'f) 
Gulistan  :  better  a  weal-bringing  lie  than  a  harm-dealing  truth. 


2O4  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

time  ofneed  no  choice  we  heed  :  speech  booteth  not  in  the  absence 
of  good  qualities  even  as  silence  hurteth  not  in  the  presence  of 
good.  Presently  I  saw  Bishr  drop  a  danik,1  so  I  picked  it  up  and 
exchanged  it  for  a  dirham  which  I  gave  him.  Quoth  he,  I  will  not 
take  it.  Quoth  I,  It  is  perfectly  lawful  change  ;  but  he  rejoined  I 
cannot  take  in  exchange  the  riches  of  the  present  world  for  those 
of  the  future  world.  It  is  related  also  that  Bishr  Barefoot's  sister 

once  went  to  Ahmad  bin  Hanbal " 2 And  Shahrazad  perceived 

the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


tofjen  it  toa0  tf>e  lEtgfjtg^econfc  Jit0f)t, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  Wazir 
Dandan  continued  to  bespeak  Zau  al-Makan  on  this  wise : — And 
quoth  the  maiden  to  thy  father,  "  Bishr  Barefoot's  sister  once  went 
to  Ahmad  bin  Hanbal  and  said  to  him,  O  Imam  of  the  Faith,  we 
are  a  family  that  spin  thread  by  night  and  work  for  our  living  by 
day ;  and  oftentimes  the  cressets  of  the  watch  of  Baghdad  pass 
by  and  we  on  the  roof  spinning  by  their  light.  Is  this  forbidden 
to  us?  Asked  Ahmad: — Who  art  thou  ?  I  am  the  sister  of 
Bishr  Barefoot,  answered  she.  Rejoined  the  Imam,  O  household 
of  Bishr,  I  shall  never  cease  to  drink  full  draughts  of  piety  from 
your  hearts.  Quoth  one  of  the  sages,  When  Allah  willeth  well 
to  His  servant  He  openeth  upon  him  the  gate  of  action.  Malik 
bin  Dinar,3  when  he  passed  through  the  bazar  and  saw  aught  he 
desired,  was  wont  to  say : — O  soul,  take  patience,  for  I  will  not 
accord  to  thee  what  thou  desirest.  He  said  also  (Allah  accept 
him  !),  The  salvation  of  the  soul  lies  in  resistance  to  it  and  its 
damnation  in  submission  to  it.  Quoth  Mansur  bin  Ammar,4  I 
made  a  pilgrimage  and  was  faring  Meccahwards  by  way  of  Cufa, 
and  the  night  was  overcast,  when  I  heard  a  voice  crying  out  from 
the  deeps  of  the  darkness  saying,  O  Allah,  I  swear  by  Thy  Great- 


1  A  penny,  one  sixth  of  the  drachma. 

2  Founder  of  the  Hanbali,  fourth  (in  date)  of  the  four  orthodox  Moslem  schools.     The 
Caliph  al-Mu'atasim  bi'llah,  son  of  Harun  al-Rashid,  who  believed  the  Koran  to  have 
been  created  and  not  a  Logos  (whatever  that  may  be),  co-eternal  with  Allah,  scourged 
this  Imam  severely  for  "  differing  in  opinion  "  (A.H.  220  =  833),     In  fact  few  of  th< 
notable  reverends  of  that  day  escaped  without  a  caress  of  the  scourge  or  the  sword. 

3  A  learned  man  of  the  eighth  century  at  Bassorah  (A.D.). 

4  A  traditionist  of  Khorasan  in  the  ninth  century  (A.D.). 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       205 

ness  "and  Thy  Glory,  I  meant  not  through  my  disobedience  to 
transgress  against  Thee ;  for  indeed  I  am  not  ignorant  of  Thee  ; 
but  my  fault  is  one  Thou  didst  foreordain  to  me  from  eternity 
without  beginning ; !  so  do  Thou  pardon  my  transgression,  for 
indeed  I  disobeyed  Thee  of  my  ignorance !  When  he  had  made 
an  end  of  his  prayer  he  recited  aloud  the  verse,  O  true  believers, 
save  your  souls  and  those  of  your  families  from  the  fire  whose  fuel 
is  men  and  stones.2  Then  I  heard  a  fall,  but  not  knowing  what  it 
was  I  passed  on.  When  the  morning  morrowed,  as  we  went  our 
way,  behold,  we  fell  in  with  a  funeral-train,  followed  by  an  old 
woman  whose  strength  had  left  her.  I  asked  her  of  the  dead,  and 
she  answered : — This  is  the  funeral  of  a  man  who  passed  by  us 
yesterday  whilst  my  son  was  standing  at  prayer  and  after  his 
prayers  he  recited  a  verse  from  the  Book  of  Allah  Almighty  when 
the  man's  gall-bladder  burst  and  he  fell  dead."  Therewith  the 
fourth  damsel  retired  and  the  fifth  came  forward  and  said,  "  I  here 
will  also  repeat  what  occurreth  to  me  regarding  the  acts  of  devotees 
in  olden  time.  Maslamah  bin  Dindr  used  to  say: — By  making 
sound  the  secret  thoughts,  sins  great  and  small  are  covered  ;  and, 
when  the  servant  of  Allah  is  resolved  to  leave  sinning,  victory 
cometh  to  him.  Also  quoth  he,  Every  worldly  good  which  doth 
not  draw  one  nearer  to  Allah  is  a  calamity,  for  a  little  of  this 
world  distracteth  from  a  mickle  of  the  world  to  come  and  a  mickle 
of  the  present  maketh  thee  forget  the  whole  of  the  future.  It  was 
asked  of  Abu  Hdzim,3  Who  is  the  most  prosperous  of  men  ? ;  and 
he  answered,  Whoso  spendeth  his  life  in  submission  to  Allah. 
The  other  enquired,  And  who  is  the  most  foolish  of  mankind  ? 
Whoso  selleth  his  future  for  the  worldly  goods  of  others,  replied 
Abu  Hazim.  It  is  reported  of  Moses 4  (on  whom  be  peace !)  that 
when  he  came  to  the  waters  of  Midian  he  exclaimed  : — O  Lord, 
verily  I  stand  in  need  of  the  good  which  thou  shalt  send  down  to 
me.5  And  he  asked  of  his  Lord  and  not  of  his  folk.  There  came 


1  "  Azal,"  opp.  to  "Abad,"  eternity  without  end,  infinity. 

2  Koran  Ixvi.  6. 

8  A  traditionist  of  Al-Medinah,  eighth  century  (A.D.). 

4  Arab.  "  Musa"  "  :  the  Egyptian  word  was  "  Mesu,"  the  "  child  "  or  the  "  boy" 
(brought  up  in  the  palace?),  and  the  Hebrews  made  it  "Mosheh"  or  "one  drawn  out 
of  the  water;"  "Mu"  in  Egypt  being  water,  the  Arab  "Ma"  ;  whence  probably  the 
moderns  have  derived  the  dim.  "  Moyeh ;  "  vulg.  Egyptian  for  water. 

5  Koran,  chapt.  xxviii. :    Shu'ayb  is  our  Jethro :   Koran,  chapt.  vii.  and  n.^  Mr 
Rodwell  suggests  (p.  101)  that  the  name  has  been  altered  from  Hobab  (Numb.  x.  29). 


206  A  If  Laylah  ?i>a  Lay  la  H. 

two  damsels  and  he  drew  water  for  them  both  and  allowed  not  the 
shepherds  to  draw  first.  When  the  twain  returned,  they  informed 
their  father  Shu'ayb  (on  whom  be  peace !)  who  said,  Haply,  he  is 
hungry,  adding  to  one  of  them,  Go  back  to  him  and  bid  him. 
hither.  Now  when  she  came  to  Moses,  she  veiled  her  face  and 
said,  My  father  biddeth  thee  to  him  that  he  may  pay  thee  thy 
wage  for  having  drawn  water  for  us.  Moses  was  averse  to  this 
and  was  not  willing  to  follow  her.  Now  she  was  a  woman  large 
in  the  back  parts,  and  the  wind  blowing  upon  her  garment1  dis- 
covered the  hinder  cheeks  to  Moses  ;  which  when  Moses  saw,  he 
lowered  his  eyes  and  said  to  her,  Get  thee  behind  while  I  walk  in 
front.  So  she  followed  him  till  he  entered  the  house  of  Shu'ayb 

where  supper  was  ready," And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn 

of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


Noto  to&en  it  toas  tfje  lEfgfjtg-tiwlJ 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  Wazir 
Dandan  continued  to  Zau  al-Makan  : — Now,  quoth  the  fifth  damsel 
to  thy  sire,  "  When  Moses  (on  whom  be  peace !)  entered  the  home 
of  Shu'ayb  where  supper  was  ready,  Shu'ayb  said  to  him,  O  Moses, 
I  desire  to  pay  thee  thy  wage  for  having  drawn  water  for  these  two. 
But  Moses  answered,  I  am  of  a  household  which  selleth  nothing  of 
the  fashion  of  the  next  world  2  for  what  is  on  earth  of  gold  and 
silver.  Then  quoth  Shu'ayb,  O  youth !  nevertheless  thou  art  my 
guest,  and  it  is  my  wont  and  that  of  my  forbears  to  honour  the 
guest  by  setting  food  before  him.  So  Moses  sat  down  and  ate. 
Then  Shu'ayb  hired  Moses  for  eight  pilgrimages,  that  is  to  say, 
eight  years,  and  made  his  wage  marriage  with  one  of  his  two 
daughters,  and  Moses*  service  to  him  was  to  stand  for  her  dowry. 
As  saith  the  Holy  Writ  of  him  : — Verily  I  will  give  thee  one  of 
these  my  two  daughters  in  marriage,  on  condition  that  thou  serve 
me  for  hire  eight  pilgrimages :  and  if  thou  fulfil  ten  years,  it  is  in 


1  Arab.  "Taub"  (Saub),  the  long  shirt  popularly  written  in  English  Tobe  and  pro- 
nounced  so  by  Egyptians.     It  is  worn  by  both  sexes  (Lane,  M.  E.  chapt.  i.  "Tob")  in 
Fgypt,  and  extends  into  the  heart  of  Moslem  Africa  :  I  can  compare  it  with  nothing  but 
a  long  nightgown  dyed  a  dirty  yellow  by  safflower  and  about  as  picturesque  as  a  caiter's 
smock-frock. 

2  There  is  nothing  of  this  in  the  Koran  ;  and  it  is  a  most  unhappy  addition,  as  Moses 
utterly  and  pretentiously  ignored  a  "next  world." 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al~Nituman  and  his  Sons.       207 

thine  own  breast ;  for  I  seek  not  to  impose  a  hardship  on  thee.1  A 
certain  man  once  said  to  one  of  his  friends  whom  he  had  not  met 
for  many  days : — Thou  hast  made  me  desolate,  for  that  I  have  not 
seen  thee  this  long  while.  Quoth  the  other,  I  have  been  distracted 
from  thee  by  Ibn  Shihab:  dost  thou  know  him  ?  Quoth  his  friend, 
Yes,  he  hath  been  my  neighbour  these  thirty  years,  but  I  have 
never  spoken  to  him.  He  replied,  Verily  thou  forgettest  Allah  in 
forgetting  thy  neighbour!  If  thou  lovedst  Allah  thou  wouldst 
love  thy  neighbour.  Knowest  thou  not  that  a  neighbour  hath  a 
claim  upon  his  neighbour,2  even  as  the  right  of  kith  and  kin  ? 
Said  Huzayfah,  "  We  entered  Meccah  with  Ibrahim  bin  Adham, 
and  Shaki'k  al-Balkhf  was  also  making  a  pilgrimage  that  year. 
Now  we  met  whilst  circumambulating  the  Ka'abah  and  Ibrahim 
said  to  Shakik,  What  is  your  fashion  in  your  country  ?  Replied 
Shakik,  When  we  are  blest  with  our  daily  bread  we  eat,  and  when 
we  hunger  we  take  patience.  This  wise,  said  Ibrahim,  do  the  dogs 
of  Balkh  ;  but  we,  when  blest  with  plenty,  do  honour  to  Allah  and 
when  an-hungered  we  thank  Him.  And  Shakik  seated  himself 
before  Ibrahim  and  said  to  him,  Thou  art  my  master.  Also  said 
Mohammed  bin  Imran,  A  man  once  asked  of  Hatim  the  Deaf3 
What  maketh  thee  to  trust  in  Allah  ?  Two  things,  answered  he,  I 
know  that  none  save  myself  shall  eat  my  daily  bread,  so  my  heart 
is  at  rest  as  to  that ;  and  I  know  that  I  was  not  created  without 
the  knowledge  of  Allah,  and  am  abashed  before  Him."  Then  the 
fifth  damsel  retired  and  the  ancient  dame  came  forward  and,  kissing 
the  ground  before  thy  father  nine  times,  said,  "  Thou  hast  heard,  O 
King,  what  these  all  have  spoken  on  the  subject  of  piety ;  and  I 
will  follow  their  example  in  relating  what  hath  reached  me  of  the 
famous  men  of  past  times.  It  is  said  that  the  Imam  al-Shafi'f 
departed  the  night  into  three  portions,  the  first  for  study,  the 
second  for  sleep  and  the  third  for  prayer.  The  Imam  Abii 
Hanffah  4  was  wont  also  to  pass  half  the  night  in  prayer.  One 


1  Koran  xxviii.  22-27.    Mohammed  evidently  confounded  the  contract  between  Laban 
»nd  Jacob  (Gen.  xxix.  15-39). 

2  So  says  Al  Hariri  (Ass.  of  Sasan),  "The  neighbour  before  the  house  and  the  traveller 
before  the  journey."     In  certain  cities  the  neighbourhood  is  the  real  detective  police, 
noting  every  action  and  abating  scandals  (such  as  orgies,  etc.)  with  a  strong  hand  and 
with  the  full  consent  of  public  opinion  and  of  the  authorities.    This  loving  the  neigh 
bour  shows  evident  signs  of  being  borrowed  from  Christianity. 

3  Al-Asamm,  a  theologian  of  Balkh,  ninth  century  (A.D.). 

4  The  founder  of  the  Senior  School,  for  which  see  Sale  Prel.  Disc.  sect.  viii. 


208  A  If  Laylak  wa  Laylak. 

day  a  man  pointed  him  out  to  another,  as  he  walked  by  and 
remarked,  Yonder  man  watcheth  the  whole  night.  When  he 
heard  this  Abu  Hanifah  said,  I  was  abashed  before  Allah  to 
hear  myself  praised  for  what  was  not  in  me ;  so  after  this  he 
used  to  watch  the  whole  night.  And  one  of  the  Sages  hath 
said : — 

Who  seeketh  for  pearl  in  the  Deep  dives  deep ;   o  Who  on  high  would  hie 
robs  his  night  of  sleep. 

Al-Rabf  a  relates  that  Al-Shafi'i  used  to  recite  the  whole  Koran 
seventy  times  during  the  month  of  Ramazan,  and  that  in  his  daily 
prayers.  Quoth  Al-Shafi'i  (Allah  accept  him  !),  During  ten  years 
I  never  ate  my  fill  of  barley-bread,  for  fullness  hardeneth  the  heart 
and  deadeneth  the  wit  and  induceth  sleep  and  enfeebleth  one  from 
standing  up  to  pray.1  It  is  reported  of  Abdullah  bin  Mohammed 
al-Sakra  that  he  said,  I  was  once  talking  with  Omar  and  he 
observed  to  me,  Never  saw  I  a  more  God-fearing  or  eloquent  man 
than  Mohammed  bin  Idris  al-Shafi'i.  It  so  happened  I  went  out 
one  day  with  Al-Hdris  bin  Labib  al-Saffdr,  who  was  a  disciple  of 
Al-Muzani 2  and  had  a  fine  voice  and  he  read  the  saying  of  the 
Almighty : — This  shall  be  a  day  whereon  they  shall  not  speak  to 
any  purpose,  nor  shall  they  be  permitted  to  excuse  themselves.3  I 
saw  Al-Shafi'i's  colour  change  ;  his  skin  shuddered  with  horripila- 
tion, he  was  violently  moved  and  he  fell  down  in  a  fainting  fit. 
When  he  revived  he  said,  I  take  refuge  with  Allah  from  the  stead 
of  the  liars  and  the  lot  of  the  negligent !  O  Allah,  before  whom 
the  hearts  of  the  wise  abase  themselves,  O  Allah,  of  Thy  bene- 
ficence accord  to  me  the  remission  of  my  sins,  adorn  me  with  the 
curtain  of  Thy  protection  and  pardon  me  my  shortcomings,  by  the 
magnanimity  of  Thy  Being !  Then  I  rose  and  went  away.  Quoth 
one  of  the  pious,  When  I  entered  Baghdad,  Al-Shafi'i  was  there. 
So  I  sat  down  on  the  river-bank  to  make  the  ablution  before 
prayer ;  and  behold,  there  passed  me  one  who  said,  O  youth,  make 
thy  Wuzu-ablution  well  and  Allah  will  make  it  well  for  thee  in  this 
world  and  in  the  next.  I  turned  and  lo !  there  was  a  man  behind 
whom  came  a  company  of  people.  So  I  hastened  to  finish  my 


1  Thus  serving  the  Lord  by  sinning  against  his  own  body. 
8  An  Egyptian. doctor  of  the  law  (ninth  century). 

1  Koran  Ixxvii.  35,  36.     This  is  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  poetical  chapters  of  the 
book. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       209 

ablution  and  followed  him.  Presently,  he  turned  and  asked  me, 
Say,  dost  thou  want  aught  ?  Yes,  answered  I  ;  I  desire  that  thou 
teach  me  somewhat  of  that  which  Allah  Almighty  hath  taught 
thee.  He  said,  Know  then  that  whoso  believeth  in  Allah  shall  be 
saved,  and  whoso  jealously  loveth  his  faith  shall  be  delivered  from 
destruction,  and  whoso  practiseth  abstinence  in  this  world,  his  eyes 
shall  be  solaced  on  the  morrow  of  death.  Shall  I  tell  thee  any 
more  ?  I  replied,  Assuredly ;  and  he  continued,  Be  thou  of  the 
world  that  is,  heedless  ;  and  of  the  world  to  come,  greediest.  Be 
truthful  in  all  thy  dealings,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved  with  the  Sal- 
vationists. Then  he  went  on  and  I  asked  about  him  and  was  told 
that  he  was  the  Imam  Al-Shafi'i.  Al-Shafi'i  was  wont  to  remark, 
I  love  to  see  folk  profit  by  this  learning  of  mine,  on  condition  that 

nothing  of  it  be  attributed  to  me." And  Shahrazad  perceived 

the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


Jlofo  fo&en  ft  tons  tfje  Icigfjtg-fourtft 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  Wazir 
Dandan  continued  to  Zau  al-Makan  : — The  old  woman  bespake 
thy  sire,  saying,  "  The  Imam  Al-Shafi'i  was  wont  to  remark,  I  love 
to  see  folk  profit  by  this  learning  of  mine  on  condition  that  nothing 
of  it  be  attributed  to  me.  He  also  said  : — I  never  disputed  with 
any  one,  but  I  would  that  Almighty  Allah  should  give  him  the 
knowledge  of  the  Truth  and  aid  him  to  dispread  it :  nor  did  I  evei 
dispute  with  anyone  at  all  but  for  the  showing  forth  of  the  Truth, 
and  I  reck  not  whether  Allah  manifest  it  by  my  tongue  or  by  His. 
He  said  also  (whom  Allah  accept !),  if  thou  fear  to  grow  conceited 
of  thy  lore,  then  bethink  thee  Whose  grace  thou  seekest  and  for 
what  good  thou  yearnest  and  what  punishment  thou  dreadest.  It 
was  told  to  Abu  Hanffah  that  the  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  Abti 
Ja'afar  al-Mansiir,  had  appointed  him  Kazi  and  ordered  him  a 
salary  of  ten  thousand  dirhams  ;  but  he  would  not  accept  of  this  ; 
and,  when  the  day  came  on  which  the  money  was  to  be  paid  him, 
he  prayed  the  dawn-prayer,  then  covered  his  head  with  his  robe 
and  spoke  not.  When  the  Caliph's  messenger  came  with  the 
money,  he  went  in  to  the  Imam  and  accosted  him,  but  he  would 
not  speak  to  him.  So  the  messenger  said,  Verily  this  money  is 
lawfully  thine.  I  know  that  it  is  lawfully  mine,  replied  he  :  but  I 
VOL.  IL 


2io  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

abhor  tfiat  the  love  of  tyrants  get  a  hold  upon  my  heart.1  Asked 
the  other,  If  thou  go  in  to  them  canst  thou  not  guard  thyself  from 
loving  them.  Answered  Abu  Hanifah,  Can  I  look  to  enter  the  sea 
without  my  clothes  being  wet  ?  Another  of  Al-Shafi  fs  sayings 
(Allah  accept  him  !)  is  : — 

Oh  soul  of  me,  an  thou  accept  my  rede,  o  Thou  shall  be  wealthy   and  of 

grace  entire  : 
Cast  off  ambitious  hopes  and  vain  desires  ;  o  How  many  a  death  was  done  by 

vain  desire  ! 

Among  the  sayings  of  Sufyan  al-Thaurf,  with  which  he  admonished 
AH  bin  al-Hasan  al-Salami  was,  Be  thou  a  man  of  truth  and  'ware 
lies  and  treachery  and  hypocrisy  and  pride.  Be  not  indebted  save 
to  Him  who  is  merciful  to  His  debtors ;  and  let  thine  associate  be 
one  who  shall  dissociate  thee  from  the  world.  Be  ever  mindful  of 
death  and  be  constant  in  craving  pardon  of  Allah  and  in  beseech- 
ing of  Allah  peace  for  what  remaineth  of  thy  life.  Counsel  every 
True  Believer,  when  he  asketh  thee  concerning  the  things  of  his 
faith ;  and  beware  of  betraying  a  Believer,  for  whoso  betrayeth  a 
Believer,  betrayeth  Allah  and  His  Apostle.  Avoid  dissensions  and 
litigation  ;  and  leave  that  which  causeth  doubt  in  thee  for  things 
which  breed  no  doubt  :2  so  shalt  thou  be  at  peace.  Enjoin  benefi- 
cence and  forbid  malevolence :  so  shalt  thou  be  loved  of  Allah. 
Adorn  thine  inner  man  and  Allah  shall  adorn  thine  outer  man. 
Accept  the  excuse  of  him  who  excuseth  self  to  thee  and  hate  not 
any  one  of  the  Moslems.  Draw  near  unto  those  who  withdraw  from 
thee  and  excuse  those  that  misuse  thee :  so  shalt  thou  be  the  friend 
of  the  Prophets.  Let  thine  affairs,  both  public  and  private,  be  in 
Allah's  charge,  and  fear  Him  with  the  fear  of  one  who  knoweth  he 
is  dead  and  who  fareth  towards  Resurrection  and  Judgement-stead 
between  the  hands  of  the  Lord  of  Dread ;  and  remember  that  to 
one  of  two  houses  thou  art  sped,  either  for  Heavens  eterne  or  to 
the  Hell  fires  that  burn."  Thereupon  the  old  woman  sat  down 
beside  the  damsels.  Now  when  thy  father,  who  hath  found  mercy, 
'  heard  their  discourse,  he  knew  that  they  were  the  most  accom- 
plished of  the  people  of  their  time  ;  and,  seeing  their  beauty  and 


1  Abu  Hanifah  was  scourged  for  refusing  to  take  office  and  was  put  to  death  in  prison, 
it  is  said  by  poison  (A.H.  150  —  A.D.  767),  for  a  judicial  sentence  authorising  rebellion 
against  the  second  Abbaside,  Al-Mansur,  surnamed  Abu'l-Dawdnik  (Father  of  Pence) 
^r  his  exceeding  avarice. 

2  "La  rayba  fi-hi"  says  the  Koran  (ii.   I)  of  itself;  and  the  saying  is  popularly 
applied  to  all  things  of  the  Faith.    . 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Ntfuman  and  his  Sons.       211 

loveliness  and  the  extent  of  their  wisdom  and  lore,  he  showed  them 
all  favour.  Moreover,  he  turned  to  the  ancient  dame  and  treated 
her  with  honour,  and  set  apart  for  her  and  her  damsels  the  palace 
which  had  lodged  Princess  Abrizah,  daughter  of  the  King  of 
Greece,  to  which  he  bade  carry  all  the  luxuries  they  needed.  They 
abode  with  him  ten  days  and  the  old  woman  abode  with  them  ; 
and,  whenever  the  King  visited  them,  he  found  her  absorbed  in 
prayer,  watching  by  night  and  fasting  by  day  ;  whereby  love  of  her 
took  hold  upon  his  heart  and  he  said  to  me,  "  O  Wazir,  verily 
this  old  woman  is  of  the  pious,  and  awe  of  her  is  strong  in 
my  heart."  Now  on  the  eleventh  day,  the  King  visited  her,  that 
he  might  pay  her  the  price  of  the  damsels ;  but  she  said  to  him, 
"  O  King,  know  that  the  price  of  these  maidens  surpasseth  the 
competence  of  men ;  indeed  I  seek  not  for  them  either  gold 
or  silver  or  jewels,  be  it  little  or  much."  Now  when  thy  father 
heard  these  words  he  wondered  and  asked  her,  "O  my  lady 
and  what  is  their  price  ? " ;  whereto  she  answered,  "  I  will  not 
sell  them  to  thee  save  on  condition  that  thou  fast,  watching 
by  night  a  whole  month,  and  abstaining  by  day,  all  for  the  love 
of  Allah  Almighty;  and,  if  thou  do  this,  they  are  thy  property 
to  use  in  thy  palace  as  thou  please.  So  the  King  wondered 
at  the  perfection  of  her  rectitude  and  piety  and  abnegation ; 
she  was  magnified  in  his  eyes  and  he  said,  "Allah  make  this 
pious  woman  to  profit  us ! "  Then  he  agreed  with  her  to  fast 
for  a  month  as  she  had  stipulated,  and  she  said  to  him,  "  I  will 
help  thee  with  the  prayers  I  pray  for  thee  and  now  bring  me  a 
gugglet  of  water."  They  brought  one  and  she  took  it  and  recited 
over  it  and  muttered  spells,  and  sat  for  an  hour  speaking  in  speech 
no  one  understood  or  knew  aught  thereof.  Lastly  she  covered  it 
with  a  cloth  and,  sealing  it  with  her  signet-ring,  gave  it  to  thy  sire, 
saying,  "  When  thou  hast  fasted  the  first  ten  days,  break  thy  fast 
on  the  eleventh  night  with  what  is  in  this  gugglet,  for  it  will  root 
out  the  love  of  the  world  from  thy  heart  and  fill  it  with  light  and 
faith.  As  for  me  to-morrow  I  will  go  forth  to  my  brethren,  the 
Invisible1  Controuls,  for  I  yearn  after  them,  and  I  will  return  to 


1  Arab.  "Rijal  al-Ghayb,  somewhat  like  the  "Himalayan  Brothers'*  of  modern 
superstition.  See  Herklots  (Qanoon-e-Islam)  for  a  long  and  careful  description  of 
these  "  Mardan-i-Ghayb  "  (Pers.),  a  "  class  of  people  mounted  on  clouds,"  invisible,  but 
moving  in  a  circular  orbit  round  the  world  ;  and  suggesting  the  Hindu  "  Lokapalas.** 
They  should  not  be  in  front  of  the  traveller  nor  on  his  right,  but  either  behind  or  on  his 
left  hand.  Hence  tables,  memorial  couplets  and  hemistichs  are  required  to  ascertain 
the  station,  without  which  precaution  journeys  are  apt  to  end  badly. 


212  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

thee  when  the  first  ten  days  are  past."  Thy  father  took  the  gugglet 
and  arose  and  set  it  apart  in  a  closet  of  his  palace,  then  locked  the 
door  and  put  the  key  in  his  pocket.  Next  day  the  King  fasted 

and  the  old  woman  went  her  ways. And  Shahrazad  perceived 

the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


Ttfofo  fofcen  it  foas  tfce 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  Wazir 
Dandan  thus  continued  to  Zau  al-Makan : — Now  when  came  the 
day  for  the  Sultan's  fast,  the  old  woman  went  her  ways.  And  after 
he  had  accomplished  the  ten  days  thereof,  on  the  eleventh  he 
opened  the  gugglet  and  drank  what  was  therein  and  found  it 
cordial  to  his  stomach.  Within  the  second  ten  days  of  the  month 
the  old  woman  returned,  bringing  sweetmeats  wrapped  in  a  green 
leaf,  like  no  leaf  of  known  tree.  She  went  in  to  thy  sire  and 
saluted  him  ;  and,  when  he  saw  her,  he  rose  to  her  saying, 
"  Welcome,  O  pious  lady !"  "  O  King,"  quoth  she,  "  the  Invisible 
Controuls  salute  thee,  for  I  told  them  of  thee,  and  they  rejoiced  in 
thee  and  have  sent  thee  their  Halwa,1  which  is  of  the  sweetmeats 
oP  the  other  world.  Do  thou  break  thy  fast  on  it  at  the  end  of  the 
day."  The  King  rejoiced  at  this  with  great  joy,  and  exclaimed, 
"  Praised  be  Allah,  who  hath  given  me  brethren  of  the  Invisible 
World  1"  Thereupon  he  thanked  the  ancient  dame  and  kissed  her 
hands  j  and  he  honoured  her  and  the  damsels  with  exceeding 
honour.  She  went  forth  for  the  twenty  days  of  thy  father's  fast, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  she  came  to  him  and  said,  "  Know,  O 
King,  that  I  told  the  Invisible  Controuls  of  the  love  which  is 
between  me  and  thee,  and  informed  them  how  I  had  left  the 
maidens  with  thee,  and  they  were  glad  that  the  damsels  should 
belong  to  a  King  like  thee ;  for  they  were  wont,  when  they  saw 
them,  to  be  strenuous  in  offering  on  their  behalf  prayers  and 
petitions  ever  granted.  So  I  would  fain  carry  them  to  the  In- 
visible Controuls  that  they  may  benefit  by  the  breath  of  their 
favour,  and  peradventure,  they  shall  not  return  to  thee  without 
some  treasure  of  the  treasures  of  the  earth,  that  thou,  after  com- 
pleting thy  fast,  mayst  occupy  thyself  with  their  raiment  and  help 
thyself  by  the  money  they  shall  bring  thee,  to  the  extent  of  thy 

1  A  sweetmeat  before  noticed. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nifuman  and  his  Sons.       2 1 3 

desires."  When  thy  sire  heard  her  words,  he  thanked  her  for  them 
and  said,  "  Except  that  I  fear  to  cross  thee,  I  would  not  accept  the 
treasure  or  aught  else  ;  but  when  wilt  thou  set  out  with  them  ?" 
Replied  she,  "  On  the  seven-and-twentieth  night ;  and  I  will  bring 
them  back  to  thee  at  the  head  of  the  month,  by  which  time  thou 
wilt  have  accomplished  thy  fast  and  they  will  have  had  their 
courses  and  be  free  from  impurity  ;  and  they  shall  become  thine 
and  be  at  thy  disposal.  By  Allah,  each  damsel  of  them  is  worth 
many  times  thy  kingdom  1"  He  said,  "  I  know  it,  O  pious  lady  !  " 
Then  quoth  the  old  woman,  "  There  is  no  help  but  that  thou  send 
with  them  someone  in  thy  palace  who  is  dear  to  thee,  that  she  may 
find  solace  and  seek  a  blessing  of  the  Invisible  Controuls."  Quoth 
he,  "  I  have  a  Greek  slave  called  Sophia,  by  whom  I  have  been 
blessed  with  two  children,  a  girl  and  a  boy  ;  but  they  were  lost 
years  ago.  Take  her  with  thee  that  she  may  get  the  blessing  " 

And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say 

her  permitted  say. 


Noto  totjcn  it  toas  tje  lStfi!)tg=0tit!) 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  Wazir 
Dandan  continued  to  Zau  al-Makan : — Quoth  thy  sire  to  the 
ancient  woman  when  she  demanded  the  handmaids  of  him,  "  I 
have  a  Greek  slave  called  Sophia,  by  whom  I  have  been  blest  with 
two  children,  a  girl  and  a  boy,  but  they  were  lost  years  ago ;  so 
take  her  with  thee,  haply  she  may  get  the  benediction  and,  belike, 
the  Invisible  Controuls  will  sue  Allah  for  her  that  her  two  children 
may  be  restored  to  her."  "  Thou  hast  said  well,"  replied  she  ;  "  for 
that  indeed  was  her  grievousest  want."  Thy  sire  gave  not  over 
finishing  his  fast  till  the  old  woman  said  to  him,  "O  my  son,  I  am 
going  to  the  Invisible  Controuls ;  so  bring  me  Sophia."  Accord- 
ingly, he  summoned  her  and  she  came  forthright,  and  he  delivered 
her  to  the  old  woman  who  mixed  her  up  with  the  other  damsels. 
Then  she  went  in  to  her  chamber  and  bringing  out  a  sealed  cup, 
presented  it  to  the  Sultan  saying,  "  On  the  thirtieth  day,  do  thou 
repair  to  the  Hammam  and  when  thou  comest  out,  enter  one  of  the 
closets  in  thy  palace  and  drink  what  is  in  this  cup.  Then  sleep, 
and  thou  shalt  attain  what  thou  seekcst,  and  peace  be  with  thee  " ! 
Thereat  the  King  was  glad  and  thanked  her  and  kissed  her  hands. 
Quoth  she,  "  I  commend  thee  to  Allah's  care ; "  whereat  quoth  he, 


214  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

"  And  when  shall  I  see  thee  again,  O  pious  lady  ?  In  very  sooth  I 
love  not  to  part  with  thee."  Then  she  called  down  blessings  on 
him  and  departed  with  the  five  damsels  and  the  Queen  ;  whilst  the 
King  fasted  after  her  departure  other  three  days,  till  the  month 
ended,  when  he  arose  and  went  to  the  Hammam  and  coming  out, 
shut  himself  up  in  a  closet  of  his  palace,  commanding  that  none 
should  go  in  to  him.  There,  after  making  fast  the  door,  he  drank 
what  was  in  the  cup  and  lay  down  to  sleep ;  and  we  sat  awaiting 
him  till  the  end  of  the  day,  but  he  did  not  come  out  and  we  said, 
"  Perchance  he  is  tired  with  the  bath  and  with  watching  by  night 
and  fasting  by  day  ;  wherefore  he  sleepeth."  So  we  waited  till 
next  day;  but  still  he  did  not  come  forth.  Then  we  stood  at 
the  closet-door  and  cried  aloud  so  haply  he  might  awake  and  ask 
what  was  the  matter.  But  nothing  came  of  that;  so  at  last  we 
lifted  up  the  door;1  and,  going  in,  found  him  dead,  with  his  flesh 
torn  into  strips  and  bits  and  his  bones  broken.2  When  we  saw  him 
in  this  condition  it  was  grievous  to  us,  and  we  took  up  the  cup  and 
found  within  its  cover  a  piece  of  paper  whereon  was  inscribed, 
"  Whoso  doeth  evil  leaveth  no  regrets,  and  this  be  the  reward  of 
him  who  playeth  traitor  with  the  daughters  of  Kings  and  who 
debaucheth  them ;  and  we  make  known  to  all  who  fall  upon  this 
scroll  that  Sharrkan,  when  he  came  to  our  country,  seduced  our 
Queen  Abrizah  ;  nor  did  that  suffice  him  but  he  must  needs  take 
her  from  us  and  bring  her  to  you.  Then  he3  sent  her  away  in 
company  of  a  black  slave  who  slew  her,  and  we  found  her  lying 
dead  on  the  desert  sward  and  thrown  out  to  wild  beasts.  This  be 
no  kingly  deed,  and  he  who  did  this  is  requited  with  naught  but 
what  he  merited.  So  do  ye  suspect  none  of  having  killed  him,  for 
no  one  slew  him  but  the  cunning  witch,  whose  name  is  Zat  al- 
Dawahi.  And  behold,  I  have  taken  the  King's  wife,  Sophia,  and 
have  carried  her  to  her  father,  Afridun  King  of  Constantinople. 
Moreover,  there  is  no  help  for  it  but  that  we  wage  war  upon  you 
and  kill  you  and  take  your  country  from  you,  and  ye  shall  be  cut 


1  Door-hinges  in  the  east  are  two  projections  for  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  leaf  playing 
in  hollows  of  the  lintel  and  threshold.     It  appears  to  be  the  primitive  form,  for  we  find 
it  in  the  very  heart  of  Africa.     In  the  basaltic  cities  of  the  Hauran,  where  the  doors  are 
of  thick  stone,  they  move  easily  on  these  pins.     I  found  them  also  in  the  official  (not  the 
temple)  City  of  Palmyra,  but  all  broken. 

2  The  effect  of  the  poison  and  of  the  incantation  which  accompanied  U. 

3  King  Omar  who  had  raped  her.     My  sympathies  are  all  with  the  old  woman  who 
rightly  punished  the  royal  lecher. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       2  1  5 

off  even  to  the  last  man,  nor  shall  a  living  soul  be  spared  by  Death 
nor  one  who  bloweth  fire  with  his  breath,  save  he  who  Cross  and 
Belt  !  worshippeth."  When  we  read  this  paper,  we  knew  that  th« 
ancient  woman  had  beguiled  us  and  carried  out  her  plot  against 
us  :  whereupon  we  cried  aloud  and  buffeted  our  faces  and  wept 
sore  when  weeping  availed  us  naught.  And  the  troops  fell  out  as 
to  whom  they  should  make  Sultan  ;  some  would  have  thee,  and 
others  would  have  thy  brother  Sharrkan  ;  and  we  ceased  not  to 
dispute  about  this  for  the  space  of  a  month,  at  the  end  of  which 
certain  of  us  drew  together  and  agreed  to  repair  to  thy  brother 
Sharrkan  :  so  we  set  out  and  journeyed  on  till  we  fell  in  with 
thee.  And  such  is  the  manner  of  the  death  of  Sultan  Omar  bin 
al-Nu'uman  !  Now  when  the  Wazir  Dandan  had  made  an  end  of 
his  story,  Zau  al-Makan  and  his  sister,  Nuzhat  al-Zaman,  wept  ; 
and  the  Chamberlain,  who  wept  also,  said  to  Zau  al-Makan,  "  O 
King,  weeping  will  avail  thee  naught  ;  nor  shall  aught  profit  thee 
but  that  thou  harden  thy  heart  and  strengthen  thy  stress  and 
stablish  thy  sovranty  ;  for  verily  whoso  leaveth,  the  like  of  thee  is 
not  dead."  Thereupon  Zau  al-Makan  gave  over  his  weeping  and 
caused  his  throne  to  be  set  up  without  the  pavilion,  and  then 
commanded  the  army  to  pass  in  review-order  before  him.  And 
the  Chamberlain  sat  by  his  side  and  all  the  armour-bearers1 
behind  him,  whilst  the  Wazir  Dandan  and  the  rest  of  the  Emirs 
and  Grandees  stood  each  in  his  dividual  stead.  Then  quoth  King 
Zau  al-Makan  to  the  Minister  Dandan,  "  Inform  me  concerning 
my  sire's  treasures  ;"  and  he  replied,  "  I  hear  and  I  obey  ;"  and 
gave  him  to  know  of  the  late  King's  hoards  and  monies,  and  what 
was  in  the  treasury  of  amassed  wealth  and  jewels,  and  acquainted 
him  with  other  precious  things.  So  Zau  al-Makan  opened  his 
hand  to  the  army,  and  gave  a  sumptuous  robe  of  honour  to  the 
Wazir  Dandan,  saying,  "  Thou  continues!  in  office."  Whereupon 


1  Arab.    "Zunnar,"   the  Gr.   {wwy.  Christians  and  Jews  were  compelled  by  the 
fanatical  sumptuary  laws  of  the  Caliph  Al-Mutawakkil  (A.D.  856)  to  wear  a  broad 
leather  belt  in  public  ;  hence  it  became  a  badge  of  the  Faith.     Probably  it  wa»  con- 
founded with  the  "Janeo"   (Brahmanical  thread)  and  the  Parsi  sacred  girdle  called 
Kashti.    (Dabistan  i,  297,  etc.).  Both  Mandeville  and  La  Brocquiere  speak  of  *'  Christians 
of  the  Girdle,  because  they  are  all  girt  above  ;  *'  intending  Jacobites  or  Nestorians. 

2  "Silah-dar"  (Arab,  and   Pers.)  =  a  military  officer  of  high  rank;  literally  an 
44  armour-bearer,"  chosen  for  valour  and  trustworthiness.     So  Jonathan  had  a  "young 
man  "  (brave)  who  bare  his  armour  (i  Sam.  xiv.  i,  6  and  7)  ;  and  Goliath  had  a  man 
that  bare  the  shield  before  him  (ibid.  xvii.  7,  41).     Men  will  not  readily  forget  the  name 
of  Sulayman  Agha,  called  the  Silahdar,  in  Egypt  (Lane  M.  E.  chapt.  iv.). 


216  ,Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

Dandan  kissed  the  ground  before  him  and  wished  him  long  life. 
Then  he  bestowed  dresses  on  the  Emirs,  after  which  he  said  to  the 
Chamberlain,  "  Bring  out  before  me  the  tribute  of  Damascus  that 
is  with  thee."  So  he  was  shown  the  chests  of  money  and  rarities 
and  jewels,  when  he  took  them  and  parted  them  all  amongst  the 

troops, And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased 

saying  her  permitted  say. 


Jloto  tojen  ft  teas  tfje  <!Btg!)tj!=#ebentf) 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Zau  al- 
'Makan  ordered  the  Chamberlain  to  bring  out  before  him  what  he 
had  brought  of  the  tribute  of  Damascus ;  and,  when  he  was  shown 
the  chests  of  money  and  rarities  and  jewels,  he  took  them  and 
parted  them  all  amongst  the  troops,  till  nothing  was  left.  And  the 
Emirs  kissed  the  ground  before  him  and  wished  him  long  life, 
saying,  "  Never  saw  we  a  King,  who  gave  the  like  of  these  gifts." 
Then  all  went  away  to  their  tents  and  when  it  was  morning  he  gave 
orders  for  marching.  So  they  marched  for  three  days,  till,  on  the 
fourth  day,  they  drew  near  to  Baghdad.  When  they  entered  the 
city,  they  found  it  decorated,  and  Zau  al-Makan,  the  Sultan,  went 
up  to  his  father's  palace  and  sat  down  on  the  throne,  whilst  the 
Emirs  of  the  army  and  the  Wazir  Dandan  and  the  Chamberlain  of 
Damascus  stood  between  his  hands.  Then  he  bade  his  private 
secretary  write  a  writ  to  his  brother  Sharrkan,  acquainting  him 
with  all  that  had  passed,  from  first  to  last,  and  he  concluded,  "  As 
soon  as  thou  hast  read  this  letter,  make  ready  thine  affair  and  join 
us  with  thine  army,  that  we  may  turn  to  Holy  War  upon  the  Infi- 
dels and  take  man-bote  for  our  father  and  wipe  out  the  stain  upon 
our  honour."  Then  he  folded  the  letter  and  sealed  it  with  his 
seal-ring  and  said  to  the  Minister  Dandan,  "  None  shall  carry  this 
letter  but  thou  ;  and  it  behoveth  thee  speak  my  brother  fair  and 
say  to  him  : — If  thou  have  a  mind  to  thy  father's  kingdom,  it  is 
thine,  and  thy  brother  shall  be  Viceroy  for  thee  in  Damascus  ;  for 
to  this  effect  am  I  instructed  by  him."  So  the  Wazir  went  down 
from  before  him  and  made  ready  for  his  march.  Then  Zau  al- 
Makan  bade  set  apart  a  magnificent  house  for  the  Fireman  and 
furnished  it  with  the  best  of  furniture  and  long  is  the  tale  of  that 
Fireman.1  Presently  Zau  al-Makan  went  out  chasing  and  hunting 

1  It  will  be  told  afterwards. 


.  Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nttuman  and  his  Sons.       217 

and,  as  he  was  returning  to  Baghdad,  one  of  the  Emirs  presented 
him  with  blood-horses  and  with  beauteous  handmaids  whose  de- 
scription the  tongue  evades.     One  of  the  damsels  pleased  him  :  so 
he  went  in  unto  her  and  knew  her  that  night,  and  she  conceived  by 
him  forthright.     After  a  while,  the  Wazir  Dandan  returned  from 
his  journey,  bringing  him  news  of  his  brother  Sharrkan  and  that  he 
was  then  on  his  way  to  him,  and  said, "  It  were  fitting  thou  go  forth 
to  meet  him."     Zau  al-Makan  replied,  "  I  hear  and  I  consent  ;"and, 
riding  forth  with  his  Grandees  a  day's  journey  from  Baghdad,  he 
pitched  his  pavilions  there  awaiting  his  brother.     Next  morning 
appeared  King  Sharrkan  amid  the  army  of  Syria,  a  horseman  of 
might,  a  lion  fierce  in  fight,  a  prow  and  doughty  knight.     As  the 
squadrons  drew  nigh  and  the  dust-clouds  came  hard  by  and  the 
troops  rode  up  with  banners  on  high,  Zau  al-Makan  and  those  with 
him  pushed  forward  to  meet  Sharrkan  and  his  men  ;  and  when 
Zau  al-Makan  saw  his  brother,  he  desired  to  dismount,  but  Sharr- 
kan conjured  him  not  to  do  on  this  wise,  and  himself  footed  it, 
and  walked  a  few  paces  towards  him.1     As  soon  as  he  reached 
Zau   al-Makan,   the    new   Sultan   threw   himself  upon   him,  and 
Sharrkan  embraced  him  and  wept  with  great  weeping  and  the 
twain  condoled  with  each  other.     Then  they  mounted  and  rode 
onward,  they  and  their  troops,  till  they  reached  Baghdad,  where 
they  alighted  and   went  up  to  the  royal  palace  and    there   they 
passed  that  night,  and  when  next  morning  came,  Zau  al-Makan 
went  forth  and  bade  summon  the  troops  from  all  parts,  and  pro- 
claimed a  Holy  War  and  a  Razzia.2      They  then   awaited    the 
coming  of  the  levies  from  each  quarter  of  the  kingdom,  and  every 
one  who  came  they  entreated  with  honour  and  promised  him  all 
manner  of  good  ;  till  in  so  doing  a  full  month  had  sped,  and  the 
fighting  men  flocked  to  them  in  a  continuous  body.     Then  Sharr- 
kan said  to  Zau  al-Makan,  "  O  my  brother,  tell  me  thy  history." 
So  he  told  him  all  that  had  befallen  him  from  first  to  last,  including 
the  benevolent  dealing  of  the  Fireman  with  him.    Asked  Sharrkan, 
"Hast  thou  requited  his   kindness?";  and  he  answered,  "O  my 
brother !  I  have  not  rewarded  him  as  yet,  but  Inshallah !  I  will 
recompense  him  whenas  I  return  from  this  raid  " — And  Shahrazad 
perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say.     , 

•"^i*^ 

1  The  elder  brother  thus  showed  himself  a  vassal  and  proved  himself  a  good  Moslem 
by  not  having  recourse  to  civil  war. 
*  Arab.  "  Ghazwah,"  the  corrupt  Gallicism,  now  Europ«anised  =  raid,T foray. 


2l8  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 


Jloto  tof)m  it  toa0  tfje  IStfittB=eifiStf)  Jl«gf)t, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Sharrkan 
asked  his  brother  Zau  al-Makan, "  Hast  thou  requited  the  Fireman 
for  his  kindness  ?  " ;  and  he  answered,  "  O  my  brother,  I  have  not 
rewarded  him  as  yet,  but  Inshallah  !  I  will  recompense  him  whenas 
I  return  from  this  raid  and  find  time  so  to  do/'  Therewith  Sharrkan 
was  certified  that  his  sister,  Nuzhat  al-Zaman,  had  told  him  the 
whole  truth ;  but  he  concealed  what  had  passed  between  them  and 
offered  his  salutation  to  her  by  her  husband  the  Chamberlain.  She 
sent  him  back  her  greeting,  calling  down  blessings  on  him  and 
enquiring  after  her  daughter  Kuzia-Fakan,  to  which  he  replied  that 
the  maiden  was  well  and  in  the  best  of  health  and  safety.  Where- 
upon she  praised  Almighty  Allah  and  gave  him  thanks.  Then 
Sharrkan  went  to  his  brother  to  take  counsel  with  him  for  de- 
parture ;  and  Zau  al-Makan  said,  "  O  my  brother,  as  soon  as 
the  army  is  complete  and  the  Arabs  have  come  in  from  all  parts, 
we  will  march  forth."  So  he  bade  make  ready  the  commis- 
sariat and  prepare  munitions  of  war  and  went  in  to  his  wife, 
who  was  now  five  months  gone  with  child  ;  and  he  put  under  her 
astrologers  and  mathematicians,  to  whom  he  appointed  stipends 
and  allowances.  Then  he  set  out  three  months  after  the  arrival 
of  the  army  of  Syria,  and  as  soon  as  the  Arabs  were  come  in  and 
the  troops  were  assembled  from  all  directions ;  and,  as  he  fared 
forth,  he  was  followed  by  the  warriors  and  the  united  host.  Now 
the  name  of  the  General  of  the  Daylam  army  was  Rustam  and 
that  of  the  General  of  the  army  of  the  Turks *  Bahram.  And  Zau 
al-Makan  marched  in  mid-host  and  on  his  right  was  his  brother 
Sharrkan,  and  on  his  left  the  Chamberlain  his  brother-in-law.  So 
the  squadrons  broke  up  and  pushed  forward  and  the  battalions  and 
companies  filed  past  in  battle-array,  till  the  whole  army  was  in 
motion.  They  ceased  not  to  fare  on  for  the  space  of  a  month,  and 
each  body  dismounted  at  its  own  ground  and  there  rested  every 
week  three  days  (for  the  host  was  great) ;  and  they  advanced  in 
this  order  till  they  came  to  the  country  of  the  Greeks.  Then  the 
people  of  the  villages  and  hamlets  and  the  poorer  sort  took  fright 
at  them  and  fled  to  Constantinople.  But  when  King  Afridun 
heard  the  tidings  he  arose  and  betook  himself  to  Zat  al-Dawahi, 


1  Turk  in  modern  parlance  means  a  Turkoman,  a  nomade :  the  settled  people  call 
themselves  Osmanli  or  Othmanli.     Turkoman  =:  Turk-like. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nituman  and  his  Sons.       219 

the  same  who  had  contrived  the  stratagem,  and  had  travelled  to 
Baghdad  and  had  slain  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  ;  and  who, 
after  carrying  off  her  slaves  and  Queen  Sophia,  had  returned  with 
them  all  to  her  native  land.  Now  when  she  had  been  restored  to 
her  son,  the  King  of  Greece,  and  felt  herself  safe,  she  said  to  King 
Hardub,"  Cool  thine  eyes;  for  I  have  avenged  by  blood  the  shame 
of  thy  daughter  Abrizah,  and  have  killed  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman 
and  have  brought  back  Sophia.  So  now  let  us  go  to  the  King  of 
Constantinople  and  carry  to  him  his  daughter  and  acquaint  him 
with  what  hath  happened,  that  all  of  us  be  on  guard  and  prepare 
our  forces ;  and  I  will  fare  with  thee  to  King  Afridun,  Lord  of 
Constantinople,  for  I  opine  that  the  Moslems  will  not  await  our 
attack."  Said  Hardub, "  Tarry  thou  till  they  draw  near  our  country, 
that  we  may  make  us  ready  meantime  and  assemble  our  power." 
Accordingly  they  took  to  levying  their  forces  and  preparing  for 
war,  and,  when  the  news  of  the  Moslems'  advance  reached  them, 
they  were  prepared  for  defence  ;  and  Zat  al-Dawahi  had  preceded 
them.  Now  when  she  and  her  son  arrived  at  Constantinople,  the 
King  of  Kings,  Afridun,  hearing  of  the  approach  of  Hardub,  King 
of  the  Greeks,  came  forth  to  meet  him  and  asked  how  it  was  with 
him  and  the  cause  of  his  visit.  So  Hardub  acquainted  him  with  the 
cunning  doings  of  his  mother,  Zat  al-Dawahi,  how  she  had  slain 
the  Moslem  King  and  recovered  from  him  Queen  Sophia,  and  had 
said,  "  The  Moslems  have  assembled  their  forces  and  are  on  their 
way  to  attack  us,  wherefore  it  behoveth  that  we  two  join  hands  in 
single  band  and  meet  them.  Now  King  Afridun  rejoiced  in  the  re- 
turn of  his  daughter  and  the  killing  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  ; 
and  he  sent  to  all  countries  seeking  succour  and  acquainting  the 
folk  with  the  cause  of  slaying  the  Moslem  King.  So  the  Nazarene 
troops  flocked  to  him  and  three  months  were  not  past  ere  the 
army  of  the  Greeks  was  complete,  besides  which  there  joined  them- 
selves to  him  Franks  from  all  their  lands,  French,  Germans1  and 
Ragusans,8  with  men  of  Zara,s  Venetians,  Genoese,  and  all  the  hosts 

1  Arab.  "  Nimsd ;  "  southern  Germans,  Austrians ;  from  the  Slav.  ••  Nemica  "  (any 
Germans),  literally  meaning  "The  dumb"  (nemac),  because  they  cannot  speak  Slav. 

«  Arab.  "  Dubara"  from  the  Slav.  "  Dubrovnik,"  from  ••  Dub  "  (an  oak)  and  "  Dub- 
iava  "  (an  oak  forest).  Ragusa,  once  a  rival  of  Venice,  gave  rise  lo  the  word  *'  Argosy." 
D'Herbelot  calls  it  "  Dobravenedik  r  or  "Good  Venice,*'  the  Turkish  name,  because 
it  paid  tribute  when  Venice  would  not  (?). 

3  Arab.  "  Jawamah,"  or,  "Jurnah"  evidently  Zara,  a  place  of  many  names,  Jadcra 
(Hirtius  de  Bell.  Alex.  cap.  13),  Jadra,  Zadra  (whence  the  modern  term),  Diadora, 
Diadosca  and  Jadrossa.  This  important  Liburnian  city  sent  forth  many  cruisers  in  c/u- 
sading  days  ;  hence  the  Arabs  came  to  know  its  name. 


22O  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

of  the  Yellow  Faces1 ;  and,  when  the  gathering  was  at  its  full,  earth 
was  straitened  on  them  by  reason  of  their  multitude.  Then  Afridun, 
the  Great  King,  ordered  a  march  ;  so  they  set  out  and  ceased  not 
to  defile  through  the  city  for  ten  days.  They  fared  on  till  they 
reached  the  Wady  hight  Al  Nu'uman,  a  broad-sided  vale  hard  by 
the  Salt  Sea,  where  they  halted  three  days  ;  and  on  the  fourth  they 
were  about  to  set  out  again,  when  news  came  that  the  army  of  AU 
Islam  on  them  prest,  and  the  defenders  of  the  faith  of  Mohammed, 
of  Men  the  Best.  So  they  halted  in  it  other  three  days,  and  on  the 
eighth  they  espied  a  dust-cloud  which  towered  till  it  walled  the 
whole  land  ;  nor  was  an  hour  of  the  day  past  ere  that  dust  began 
to  drift  and  was  torn  to  shreds  in  the  lift,  and  pierced  through  its 
shades  the  starry  radiance  of  lance  and  the  white  leven  of  blades. 
Presently  there  appeared  beneath  it  the  banners  Islamitan  and  the 
ensigns  Mahometan  ;  the  horsemen  urged  forward,  like  the  letting 
loose  of  seas  that  surged,  clad  in  mail,  as  they  were  mackerel-back 
clouds  which  the  moon  enveil ;  whereupon  the  two  hosts  clashed, 
like  two  torrents  on  each  other  dashed.  Eyes  fell  upon  eyes ;  and 
the  first  to  seek  combat  singular  was  the  Wazir  Dandan,  he  and 
the  army  of  Syria,  numbering  thirty  thousand  bridles,  and  with  him 
were  the  General  of  the  Turks,  and  the  General  of  Daylam,  Rustam 
and  Bahram,  amid  twenty  thousand  horse,  behind  whom  came  the 
men  from  the  shores  of  the  Salt  Sea,  clad  in  iron  mail,  as  they  were 
full  moons  that  past  through  a  night  o'ercast  Then  the  Nazarene 
host  called  out  on  Jesus  and  Mary,  and  the  defiled2  Cross  and  they 
heaped  themselves  upon  the  Wazir  Dandan  and  those  with  him  of 
the  Syrian  host.  Now  all  this  was  in  pursuance  of  a  stratagem 

1  Arab.  "  Banu  '1-Asfar ;  "  which  may  mean  "Pale  faces,"  in  the  sense  of  "yaller 
girls"  (New  Orleans)  and  that  intended  by  North  American  Indians,  or,  possibly,  the 
peoples  with  yellow  (or  rather  tow-coloured)  hair  we  now  call  Russians.     The  races  of 
Hindostan  term  the  English  not  "  white  men,"  but  "  red  men ;"  and  the  reason  will  at 
once  be  seen  by  comparing  a  Britisher  with  a  high-caste  Nagar  Brahman  whose  face  is  of 
parchment-colour  as  if  he  had  drunk  exsangue  cuminum.    The  Yellow-faces  of  the  text 
correspond  with  the  Sansk.  "Svetadvipa" — Whiteman's  Land. 

2  Arab.  "  Al-Musakhkham."     No   Moslem  believes  that  Isa  was  crucified  and  a 
favourite  fancy  is  that  Judas,  changed  to  the  likeness  of  Jesus,  thus  paid  for  his  treason. 
(Evangel.  BarnabseV  Hence  the  resurrection  is  called  not  "  Kiydmah  "  hut "  Kumamah  " 
=  rubbish.    This  heresy  about  the  Cross  they  share  with  the  Docetes,  "  certain  beasts  in 
the  shape  of  men  "  (says  Ignatius),  who  held  that  a  phantom  was  crucified.     So  far  the 
Moslems  are  logical,  for  "  Isa,"  being  angelically,  miraculously  and  immaculately  con- 
ceived, could  not  die ;  but  they  contradict  themselves  when  they  hold  a  vacant  place  near 
Mohammed's  tomb  for  the  body  of  Isa  after  his  second  coming  as  a  forerunner  to  Moham- 
med and  Doomday  (Pilgrimage  ii.  89). 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.       221 

devised  by  that  ancient  woman  Zat  al-Dawahi;  for,  before  his 
departure,  King  Afridun  had  gone  in  to  her  and  asked  her, "  How 
shall  I  do  and  what  plan  shall  I  pursue  ? ;  it  is  thou  hast  caused 
this  great  distress  to  us  ; "  and  she  had  answered,  "  O  great  King 
and  mighty  Cohen  ! r  I  will  teach  thee  a  trick  would  baffle  Iblis 
himself,  though  he  summon  to  his  assistance  all  his  grisly  hosts." 

And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say 

her  permitted  say. 


Jloto  tofccn  it  toas  tfje  lEiflfjtB-m'ntlj 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  all  this  was  a 
stratagem  of  the  ancient  woman,  for  that  the  King  before  his 
departure  had  gone  to  her  and  asked,  "  How  shall  I  do  and  what 
plan  shall  I  pursue  ?  it  is  thou  hast  caused  this  great  distress  to 
us  !  "  And  she  had  answered,  "  O  great  King  and  mighty  Cohen, 
I  will  teach  thee  a  trick  would  baffle  the  Devil  himself  though  he 
summon  to  his  assistance  all  his  grisly  hosts.  It  is  that  thou  send 
fifty  thousand  men  going  down  in  ships,  and  sailing  over  the  sea  to 
the  Mountain  of  Smoke ;  and  there  let  them  land  and  stir  not  till 
the  standards  of  Al-Islam  come  upon  thee,  when  do  thou  up  and  at 
them.  Then  bid  the  troops  from  the  seaward  sally  out  upon  the 
Moslems  and  take  them  in  rear,  whilst  we  confront  them  from  the 
landward.  So  not  one  of  them  shall  escape,  and  our  sorrows  shall 
cease  and  peace  abide  with  us.1'  Now  the  counsel  of  this  ancient 
woman  commended  itself  to  King  Afridun,  and  he  replied,  "  Right 
is  the  recking  thou  reckest,  O  Princess  of  wits  and  recourse  of  Kings 
and  Cohens  warring  for  theif  blood-wit !  "  So  when  the  army  of 
Al-Islam  came  upon  them  in  that  valley,  before  they  knew  of  it  the 
flames  began  to  burn  up  the  tents  and  the  swords  in  men's  bodies 
to  make  rents.  Then  hurried  up  the  army  of  Baghdad  and  Khora- 
san  who  numbered  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  horse,  with 
Zau  al-Makan  in  the  front  of  war.  When  the  host  of  the  Infidels 
that  lay  by  the  sea  saw  them,  they  sallied  out  against  them  and 
followed  in  their  tracks ;  and  when  Zau  al-Makan  espied  this  he 
cried  out  to  his  men,  "  Turn  back  to  the  Infidels,  O  People  of  the 
Chosen  Apostle,  and  slay  those  who  deny  and  hate  the  authority 
of  the  Compassionating,  the  Compassionate !  "  So  they  turned  and 

1  A  Diviner,  a  priest,  esp.  Jewish,  and  Dot  belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Lcvi. 


222  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

fought  with  the  Christians.  Then  Sharrkan  marched  up  with 
another  corps  of  the  Moslem  host,  some  hundred  thousand  men, 
whilst  the  Infidels  numbered  nigh  upon  a  thousand  and  six  hundred 
thousand  men.  When  the  Moslems  were  united,  their  hearts  were 
strengthened  and  they  cried  out,  saying,  "  Verily  Allah  hath  pro- 
mised us  victory,  and  to  the  Infidels  hath  assigned  defeat."  And 
they  clashed  together  with  sword  and  spear.  Now  Sharrkan  tare 
through  rank  and  row  and  raged  among  the  masses  of  the  foe, 
righting  so  fierce  a  fight  as  to  make  children  grey  grow;  nor  did  he 
cease  tourneying  among  the  infidel  horde  and  working  havoc 
among  them  with  the  keen-edged  sword,  shouting  "  Allaho  Akbar ! " 
— Allah  is  Most  Great — till  he  drove  back  the  host  to  the  coast. 
Then  failed  the  force  of  the  foe  and  Allah  gave  victory  to  the  faith 
of  Al-Islam,  and  folk  fought  folk,  drunken  without  strong  drink, 
till  they  slew  of  the  Infidels  in  this  affair  forty  and  five  thousand, 
while  of  the  Moslems  but  three  thousand  and  five  hundfed  fell. 
Moreover,  the  Lion  of  the  Faith,  King  Sharrkan,  and  his  brother, 
Zau  al-Makan,  slept  not  that  night,  but  occupied  themselves  with 
congratulating  their  braves  and  with  looking  to  the  wounded  and 
with  assuring  the  army  of  victory  and  salvation  and  promise  of 
reward  in  the  world  to  come.  Thus  far  concerning  the  Moslem ; 
but  as  regards  King  Afridun,  Lord  of  Constantinople  and  Sovran 
of  Roum,  and  Zat  al-Dawahi,  they  assembled  the  Emirs  of  the 
host  and  said  to  them, "  Verily,  we  had  worked  our  will  and  solaced 
our  hearts,  but  our  over-confidence  in  our  numbers,  and  that  only, 
defeated  us."  Then  quoth  to  them  the  ancient  one,  the  Lady  of 
Calamities,  "  In  very  sooth  nought  shall  profit  you,  except  ye  draw 
you  riigh  unto  the  Messiah  and  put  your  trust  in  the  True  Belief; 
for,  by  the  virtue  of  the  Messiah,  the  whole  strength  of  the  Moslem 
host  lieth  in  that  Satan,  King  Sharrkan."  "  To-morrow,"  said  King 
Afridun,  "I  have  resolved  to  draw  up  in  battle  array  and  to  send 
out  against  them  that  redoubtable  cavalier,  Lukd  bin  Shamlut ;  for 
if  King  Sharrkan  come  forth  as  a  champion  to  fight  single-handed, 
our  man  will  slay  him  and  will  slay  the  other  Moslem  Knights,  till 
not  one  is  left.  And  I  purpose  this  night  to  sacre  you  all  with  the 
Holy  Incense."  When  the  Emirs  heard  these  words  they  kissed 
the  ground  before  him.  Now  the  incense  which  he  designated  was 
the  excrement  of  the  Chief  Patriarch,  the  denier,  the  defiler  of  the 
Truth,  and  they  sought  for  it  with  such  instance,  and  they  so  highly 
valued  it  that  the  high  priests  of  the  Greeks  used  to  send  it  to  all 
the  countries  of  the  Christians  in  silken  wraps  after  mixing  it  with 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Niiuman  and  his  Sons.       223 

musk  and  ambergris.  Hearing  of  it  Kings  would  pay  a  thousand 
gold  pieces  for  every  dram  and  they  sent  for  and  sought  it  to  fumigate 
brides  withal ;  and  the  Chief  Priests  and  the  great  Kings  were  wont 
to  use  a  little  of  it  as  collyrium  for  the  eyes  and  as  a  remedy  in 
sickness  and  colic ;  and  the  Patriarchs  used  to  mix  their  own  skite1 
with  it,  for  that  the  skite  of  the  Chief  Patriarch  could  not  suffice 
for  ten  countries.2  So,  as  soon  as  dawn  was  seen  and  the  morning 
shone  with  its  shine  and  sheen,  the  horsemen  ran  to  their  spears 

full  keen,  and  King  Afridun And    Shahrazad    perceived    the 

dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


Nofo  tobm  (t  foas  t&e  dFull  Nmettett) 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  as  soon  as  dawn 
was  seen  and  the  morning  shone  with  its  shine  and  sheen,  the 
horsemen  ran  to  their  spears  full  keen  and  King  Afridun  sum- 
moned his  chief  Knights  and  Nobles  and  invested  them  with 
dresses  of  honour ;  and,  drawing  the  sign  of  the  cross  on  their 
brows,  incensed  them  with  the  incense  which  as  aforesaid  was  the 
skite  of  the  Chief  Patriarch,  the  Cohen,  the  Heresiarch.  This 
incensing  done,  he  called  for  Luka  bin  Shamlut,  surnamed  the 
Sword  of  the  Messiah  ;  and,  after  fumigating  him  and  rubbing  his 
palate  with  the  Holy  Merde,  caused  him  to  snuff  it  and  smeared 
his  cheeks  and  anointed  his  moustaches  with  the  rest.  Now  there 
was  no  stouter  champion  in  the  land  of  Roum  than  this  accursed 
Luka,  nor  any  better  at  bending  of  bow  or  sway  of  sword  or  lunge 
with  lance  on  the  day  of  devoir;  but  he  was  foul  of  favour,  for  his 
face  was  as  the  face  of  an  ass,  his  shape  that  of  an  ape  and  his  look 


1  Again  the  coarsest  word  "Khara."     The  allusion  is  to  the  vulgar  saying,  "Thou 
eatest  skite ! "  (i.*.  thou  talkest  nonsense).      Decent  English  writers  modify  this  to, 
"Thou  eatest  dirt:"    and  Lord  Beaconsfield  made  it  ridiculous  by  turning  it  into 
"eating  sand." 

2  These  silly  scandals,  which  cause  us  only  to  smile,  excite  Easterns  to  fury.     I  have 
seen  a  Moslem  wild  with  rage  on  hearing  a  Christian  parody  the  opening  words  of  the 
Koran,  "  Bismillahi  '1-Rahmani  '1-Rahim,   Mismish  wa  Kamar  al-din,"  roughly  trans- 
lated, "In  the  name  of  Allah,  the  Compassionating,  the  Compassionate!     Apricots  and 
marmalade.'     The  idea  of  the  Holy  Merde  might  have  been  suggested  by  the  Hindus  : 
see  Mandeville,  of  the  archiprotopapaton  (prelate)  carrying  ox-dung  and  urine  to  the  King, 
who  therewith  anoints  his  brow  and  breast,  &c.     And,  incredible  to  relate,  this  is  still 
practised  after  a  fashion  by  the  Parsis,  one  of  the  most  progressive  and   the  sharpest 
witted  of  Asiatic  races. 


224  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

as  the  look  of  a  malignant  snake :  his  presence  was  grievouser 
than  parting  from  the  beloved  make ;  and  blacker  than  night  was 
his  blackness  and  more  fetid  than  the  lion  was  his  breath  for  foul- 
ness ;  more  crooked  than  a  bow  was  his  crookedness  and  grimmer 
than  the  leopard  was  his  ugliness,  and  he  was  branded  with  the 
mark  of  the  Infidels  on  face.1  After  this  he  came  up  to  King 
Afridun  and  kissed  his  feet  and  stood  before  him;  and  the  Kingj 
said  to  him,  "  I  desire  thou  go  out  against  Sharrkan,  King  ofl 
Damascus,  son  of  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  and  deliver  us  from  this 
affliction."  Quoth  Luka,  "  Hearkening  and  obedience  ; "  and  the 
King  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  on  his  forehead  and  felt  assured 
of  help  from  Heaven  being  near  hand.  Then  Luka  went  out  from 
the  presence  and  the  accursed  one  mounted  a  sorrel  horse ;  he  was 
clad  in  a  red  robe  and  a  hauberk  of  gold  set  with  jewels,  and  he 
bore  a  trident  spear,  as  he  were  Iblis  the  damned  on  the  day  of 
drewing  out  his  hosts  war  to  darraign.  Then  he  rode  forward,  he 
and  his  horde  of  Infidels,  even  as  though  they  were  driving  to  the 
Fire,  preceded- by  a  herald,  crying  aloud  in  the  Arabic  tongue  and 
saying,  "  Ho,  sect  of  Mohammed  (upon  whom  be  salutation  and 
salvation !),  let  none  of  you  come  out  but  your  champion  Sharrkan, 
the  Sword  of  Al-Islam,  Lord  of  Damascus  in  Shdm  * !  Nor  had 
he  made  an  end  of  speaking,  when  arose  a  tumult  in  the  plain  ;  all 
the  people  heard  the  strain  and  the  whole  moving  bodies  of  the 
armies  twain  called  to  mind  the  Day  of  Complain.  Then  the 
cowards  trembled  and  all  necks  turned  towards  the  sound,  and  lo  ! 
it  was  King  Sharrkan,  son  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman.  For 
when  his  brother,  Zau  al-Makan,  saw  that  accursed  one  push  out 
on  the  plain,  and  heard  the  pursuivant,  he  turned  to  Sharrkan  and 
said  to  him,  "  Of  a  surety  they  seek  for  thee."  Said  he,  "  Should 
it  so  be,  'twere  most  pleasing  to  me."  So  when  they  made  sure  of 
the  matter  and  heard  the  herald  crying  in  the  plain,  "  Let  none 


1  Meaning  that  he  had  marked  his  brow  with  a  cross  (of  ashes  ?)  as  certain  do  on  Ash- 
'Wednesday. 

2  Syria,  the  "  left-hand  land"  as  has  before  been  explained.     The  popular  saying 
about  its  people  is  "  Shami  shumi !  " — the  Syrian  is  small  potatoes  (to  render  the  sense 
Americanice).     Nor  did  Syrus,  the  slave  in  Roman  days,  bear  the  best  of  names.     In 
Al-Hijaz  the  Syrian  is  addressed  "Abu  Shdm"    (Father  of  Syria)   and  insulted  as 
"Abuser  of  the  Salt  "a  (traitor).     Yet  many  sayings  of  Mohammed  are  recorded   in 
honour  of  Syria,  and  he  sometimes  used  Syriac  words.     Such  were  "  Bakh,  bakh" 
(=  euge,  before  noticed),  and  "  Kakh,"  a  congener  of  the  Latin  Cacus  and  Caca  which 
our  day  has  docked  to  "  cack."     (Pilgrimage  iii.  115). 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-N tinman  and  his  Sons.      22$ 

of  you  come  out  against  me  save  Sharrkan,"  they  knew  this  cursed 
Luka  to  be  champion  of  the  land  of  Roum  who  had  sworn  to 
sweep  the  earth  clean  of  Moslems.  Now  he  was  one  of  the  greatest 
of  villains,  a  wretch  who  caused  hearts  to  pain  ;  and  the  Daylamites, 
Turks  and  Kurds  dreaded  his  might  and  main.  Presently  Sharrkan 
drave  at  him  like  a  lion  angry-grim,  mounted  on  a  courser  like  a 
wild  gazelle  flying  snell  and  slim  ;  and  coming  nigh  to  him  made 
the  spear  he  hent  to  shake  as  it  were  a  darting  snake,  and  recited 
these  couplets : — 

I  have  a  sorrel  steed,  whose  pride  is  fain  to  bear  the  rein,  o  Shall  give 
thee  what  thou  likest  not  and  make  thee  feel  his  main  : 

1  have  a  handy  limber  spear  full  bright  and  keen  of  point,  o  Upon  whose 
shaft  the  dam  of  Death  her  throny  seat  hath  ta'en  : 

I  have  a  trenchant  glaive  of  Hind  ;  and,  when  I  bare  its  face  o  Of  scabbard- 
veil,  from  out  its  brow  the  rays  of  leven  rain. 

Luka  understood  not  the  sense  of  his  speech  nor  did  he  apprehend 
the  vehemence  of  the  verse  ;  but  he  smote  his  forehead  with 
his  hand,  in  honour  of  the  Cross  drawn  thereon  and  kissed  it ;  then 
he  couched  his  throw-spear  and  ran  at  Sharrkan.  But  first  he 
tossed  the  javelin  with  one  hand  in  air  to  such  height  that  it  was 
lost  to  the  spectators'  sight ;  and,  catching  it  with  the  other  hand  as 
do  the  jugglers,  hurled  it  at  Sharrkan.  It  flew  from  his  grasp  like 
a  shooting  star  and  folk  clamoured  and  feared  for  Sharrkan  ;  but, 
as  the  spear  flew  near  him,  he  put  out  his  hand  and  caught  it  in  full 
flight  to  the  amazement  of  all  who  saw  the  sight.  Then  he  shook  it 
•with  the  hand  that  took  it  till  it  was  well-nigh  broken,  and  hurled 
it  so  high  into  the  welkin  that  it  disappeared  from  view.  As  it 
descended,  he  caught  it  again  with  the  other  hand,  in  less  than  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye,  and  cried  out  from  his  heart-core,  saying, "  By 
the  truth  of  Him  who  created  the  sevenfold  skies,  I  will  assuredly 
make  this  cursed  wight  a  byword  for  mankind  to  despise ! "  Then 
threw  he  the  throw-spear  at  Luka,  who  thought  to  do  as  Sharrkan 
had  done  and  put  forth  his  hand  to  hend  it  in  mid-flight ;  but 
Sharrkan  prevented  him,  and  sped  at  him  a  second  throw-spear 
which  smote  him  and  the  point  fell  on  his  forehead,  in  the  very 
centre  of  the  sign  of  the  Cross,  and  Allah  hurried  his  soul  to 
the  Fire  and  Dwelling-place  dire.1  But  when  the  Infidels  saw 

1  Koran  xiv._34.     "They  (Unbelievers)  shall  be  thrown  therein  (i.e.,  the  House  of 
Perdition  =Hell) ;  and  an  unhappy  dwelling  shall  it  be." 

VOL.  n.  p 


226  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

Luka  bin  Shamlut  fall  slain,  they  buffeted  their  faces  and  they 
cried,  "  Alas  !  "  and  "  Woe  worth  the  day ! "  and  called  for  aid 

upon  the  Abbots  of  the  monasteries :And  Shahrazad  preceived 

the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


"Nob)  tojben  it  toas  tfje  Km£tg=tot 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  the 
Infidels  saw  Luka  bin  Shamlut  fall  slain,  they  buffeted  their  faces 
and  cried,  "  Alas  !  "  and  "  Woe  worth  the  day !  "  and  called  upon 
the  Abbots  of  the  monasteries  and  cried,  "  Where  be  the  crosses  ? " 
So  the  Religious  offered  up  prayers  and  the  Christians  all  drew 
together  against  Sharrkan  ;  and,  brandishing  their  scymitars  and 
lances,  rushed  forward  to  the  attack.  Then  army  met  army  and 
breasts  fell  under  hoof,  whilst  spear  and  sword  ruled  the  day 
and  fore-arms  and  wrists  grew  weak  and  the  coursers  seemed 
created  without  legs ; *  nor  did  the  herald  of  war  cease  calling 
to  fight,  till  arms  were  aweary  and  day  took  flight  and  night  came 
on  with  darkness  dight.  So  the  two  hosts  drew  apart,  whilst  every 
brave  staggered  like  a  drunken  knave,  for  that  with  so  much  cut 
and  thrust  they  strave  ;  and  the  place  was  choked  with  the  slain  \ 
fell  were  the  wounds  and  the  hurt  knew  not  by  whom  they  fell. 
Then  Sharrkan  joined  his  brother,  Zau  al-Makan,  and  the 
Chamberlain  and  the  Wazir  Dandan,  and  said  to  them,  "  Verily 
Allah  hath  opened  a  door  for  the  Infidels  to  fall,  praised  be  the 
Lord  of  the  Worlds  one  and  all  !  "  Replied  Zau  al-Makan,  "  Let 
us  never  cease  to  praise  Allah,  for  that  He  hath  dispelled  trouble 
from  the  Arab  and  the  Ajam.  Indeed  the  folk,  generation  after 
generation,  shall  tell  of  thy  derring-do  against  the  accursed  Luka, 
the  falsifier  of  the  Evangel ;  *  of  thy  catching  the  throw  spear 


1  The  leg-cut  is  a  prime  favourite  with  the  Eastern  Sworder,  and  a  heavy  two-handed 
blade  easily  severs  a  horse's  leg. 

2  Mohammed  repeatedly  declared  (Koran  Ixi.)  that  the  Christians  had  falsified  the 
passage  ("  I  go  to  my  Father  and  the  Paraclete  shall  come,"  John  xvi.  7)  promising  the 
advent  of  the  Comforter,  7rapaK\rfro<s  (ibid.  xiv.  20 ;  xv.  26)  by  substituting  the  lalter 
word  for  TrcpucAvros  glorious,   renowned,  i.e.,  Ahmed  or  Mohammed  =  the  praised 
one.   This  may  have  been  found  in  the  Arabic  translation  of  the  Gospels  made  by  Wara- 
kah,  cousin  to  Mohammed's  first  wife ;  and  hence  in  Koran  Ixi.  we  find  Jesus  prophesying 
of  an  Apostle  "  whose  name  shall  be  Ahmad."  The  word  has  consequently  been  inserted 
into  the  Arabic  Gospel  of  Saint  Barnabas   (Dabistan  iii.   67).     Moslems   accept   the 
Pentateuch,  the  Psalter  and  the  Gospel ;  but  assert  (Koran,  passim)  that  all  extant  copies 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nit!uman  and.  his  Sons.       227 

In  mid-flight,  and  how  the  enemy  of  Allah  among  men  thou  didst 
smite ;  and  thy  fame  shall  endure  until  the  end  of  time."  Then 
said  Sharrkan,  "  Harkye,  O  grand  Chamberlain  and  doughty 
Capitayne !  "  and  he  answered,  "  Adsum  !  "*  Quoth  Sharrkan, 
"  Take  with  thee  the  Wazir  Dandan  and  twenty  thousand  horse, 
and  lead  them  seven  parasangs  towards  the  sea,  and  force  the 
march  till  ye  shall  have  come  near  the  shore,  and  there  remain  only 
two  parasangs  between  thee  and  the  foe.  Then  ambush  ye  in  the 
hollows  of  the  ground  till  ye  hear  the  tumult  of  the  Infidels  dis- 
embarking from  their  ships  ;  and  the  war-cry  from  every  side  strike 
your  ear  and  ye  know  that  the  sabres  have  begun  labour  between 
us  and  them  ;  and,  whenso  ye  see  our  troops  falling  back,  as  if 
defeated,  and  all  the  Infidels  following  them,  as  well  those  in  front 
as  those  from  the  seaward  and  the  tents,  do  ye  still  lie  in  wait  for 
them  :  but  as  soon  as  ye  see  the  standard  with  the  words,  There 
is  no  god  but  the  God,  and  Mohammed  is  God's  Apostle  (on  whom 
be  salutation  and  salvation  !),  then  up  with  the  green  banner,  and 
do  your  endeavour  and  fall  on  their  rear  and  shout,  Allaho 
Akbar !  Allah  is  most  Great !  and  circle  round  that  they  may 
not  interpose  between  the  retreating  army  and  the  sea."  He 
replied,  "  To  hear  is  to  obey  !  ";  and  forthright  they  agreed  upon 
this  matter  and  they  went  forth.  .  Now  the  Chamberlain  took  with 
himself  the  Wazir  Dandan  and  twenty  thousand  men  even  a* 
Sharrkan  had  commanded.  As  soon  as  dawned  the  morn,  the 


have  been  Hopelessly  corrupted,  and  they  are  right.  Moses,  to  whom  the  Pentateuch  is 
attributed,  notices  his  own  death  and  burial — "the  mair  the  miracle,"  said  the  old  Scotch 
lady.  The  "Psalms  of  David  "  range  over  a  period  of  some  five  hundred  years,  and 
there  are  three  Isaiahs  who  pass  with  the  vulgar  for  one.  The  many  apocryphal  Gospels, 
all  of  which  have  been  held  genuine  and  canonical  at  different  times  and  in  different 
places,  prove  that  the  four,  which  are  still  in  use,  were  retained  because  they  lack  the 
manifest  absurdities  of  their  discarded  rivals. 

1  Arab.  "  Labbayka  ;"  the  Pilgrimage-cry  (Night  xxii.)  which  in  Arabic  is, 

Labbayk'  Allahumma,  Labbayk' ! 

La  Sharfka  laka,  Labbayk' 1 

Inna  '1-hamda  w'al  ni'amata  laka.wa'l  mulk  f 

Labbayk'  Allahumma,  Labbayk'  I 

Some  add  "  Here  am  I,  and  I  honour  Thee,  the  son  of  Thy  two  slaves ;  beneficence  and 
good  are  all  between  Thy  hands."  With  the  "  Talbiyah  "  the  pilgrim  should  bless  the 
Prophet,  pray  Allah  to  grant  Heaven  and  exclaim,  "  By  Thy  mercy  spare  us  from  the 
pains  of  Hell-fire!"  (Pilgrimage  iii.  232.)  Labbayka  occurs  in  the  verses  attributed 
to  Caliph  Ali ;  so  labba  ==  he  faced  and  yalubbu  =  it  faces  (as  one  house  faces  another) ; 
lastly,  he  professed  submission  to  Allah  ;  in  which  sense,  together  with  the  verbal  noun 
••  Talbiyah,"  it  is  used  by  Al-Hariri  (Pref.  and  Ass.  of  Su'adah). 


228  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

troops  sprung  to  horse  when  they  had  donned  their  armour-gear 
and  drawn  the  scymitar  and  slung  the  spear.  Then  the  Christians 
dispread  themselves  over  hill  and  dale  and  the  Ecclesiasts1  cried 
out  and  all  heads  were  bared,  and  those  in  the  ships  hoisted  the 
Cross  at  their  mast-heads  and  began  making  for  shore  from  every 
side,  and  landed  their  horses  and  gat  them  ready  for  fight  and  fray, 
whilst  the  sword-blades  glittered  bright  and  the  javelins  glanced 
like  leven-light  on  mail-shirt  white  ;  and  all  joined  fight  and  the 
grind-mill  of  Death  whirled  round  and  ground  those  who  fought 
from  horse  and  aground  :  heads  from  bodies  flew  and  tongues  mute 
grew  and  eyes  no  vision  knew.  Scymitars  strave  with  utmost 
strain  and  heads  flew  over  the  battle  plain  ;  gall-bladders  clave  and 
wrists  were  shorn  in  twain  ;  steeds  plashed  in  pools  of  gore  and 
beards  were  gripped  right  sore  ;  the  host  of  Al-Islam  called  out, 
saying,  "On  the  Prince  of  Mankind  be  blessings  and  peace,  and  to 
the  Compassionate  glory  and  praise,  which  ne'er  shall  cease,  for 
His  boons  which  aye  increase;"  and  the  host  of  the  Infidels 
shouted,  "  Glory  to  the  Cross  and  the  Belt  and  the  vine-prest  juice, 
and  the  wine-presser  and  the  Priests  and  the  Monks  and  the 
Festival  of  Palms  and  the  Metropolitan  !  "  Now  Zau  al-Makan 
and  Sharrkan  held  back  and  their  troops  gave  way  and  feigned 
flight  from  before  the  enemy,  while  the  Infidel  array  pressed  hard 
upon  them  deeming  them  in  rout,  and  made  ready  to  foin  and 
hew.  Then  the  meiny  of  the  Moslems  raised  their  voices,  reciting 
the  first  verses  of  the  Chapter  of  the  Cow,2  whilst  the  dead  were 
trampled  under  hoofs  of  steeds,  and  the  heralds  of  the  Greeks 
cried  out,  "  Ho,  servants  of  the  Messiah  !  Ho,  people  of  the  True 
Faith  !  Ho,  followers  of  the  Primate  !3  Verily  Divine  grace  upon 
you  opes;  for  see,  the  hosts  of  Al-Islam  like  birds  with  broken 
wings  incline  to  elope  !  So  turn  ye  not  to  them  your  backs,  but 
let  your  swords  cleave  deep  in  their  necks  and  hold  not  your  hands 
from  them,  else  are  ye  outcasts  from  the  Messiah,  Mary's  son,  who 
spoke  even  when  a  cradled  one  !  "4  Now  Afridun,  King  of  Con- 


1  Arab.  Kissls  (plur.  Kusus)  from 

2  Koran  ii.    The  "red  cow"  is  evidently  the  "red  heifer"  of  Barnabas,  chapt.  vii. 

3  Arab.  "  Al-Jasalik  "  =Ka0oAiKOS. 

4  This  is  from  the  first  "Gospel  of  Infancy,"  wherein    Jesus  said  to  his  mother, 
"  Verily  I  am  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  the  Word  which  thou  hast  brought  forth,  as  the  Angel 
Gabriel  did  declare  unto  thee  ;    and  my  Father  hath  sent  me  to  save  the  world  "  (chapt. 
i.   2).      The  passage  is  virtually   quoted    in    the   Koran  (chapt.  iii.   141),  of    course 
omitting  "  the  Son  of  God." 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       229 

stantinople,  deemed  that  the  Infidels  were  victorious,  knowing  not 
that  this  was  but  a  clever  stratagem  of  the  Moslems,  and  sent 
to  King  Hardub  of  Roum  congratulations  on  success,  adding. 
"  Availed  us  naught  but  the  Holy  Merde  of  the  Arch-Patriarch, 
whose  fragrance  exhaled  from  the  beards  and  mustachios  of  the 
slaves  of  the  Cross  near  and  far;  and  I  swear,  by  the  Miracles  of 
the  Messiah  ;  and  by  thy  daughter  Abrizah,  the  Nazarene,  the 
Mariolater ;  and  by  the  Waters  of  Baptism,  that  I  will  not  leave 
upon  the  earth  a  single  defender  of  Al-Islam  !  And  to  the  bitter 
end  will  I  carry  out  this  plan."  So  the  messenger  betook  himself 
with  the  address  to  King  Hardub,  whilst  the  Infidels  called  to  one 

another  saying,  "  Take  we  vengeance-wreak  for  Luka  !  " And 

Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  per- 
mitted say. 


jloto  tofjen  it  bas  tfje  j/linetg'SccontJ  Jli3!)t, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  Infidels 
called  to  one  another,  saying,  *  Take  we  vengeance-wreak  for 
Luka !  "  while  Hardub  King  of  Greece  cried  aloud,  "  Ho,  to  our 
revenge  for  Abrizah !"  Thereupon  King  Zau  al-Makan  shouted 
"  Ho,  servants  of  the  Requiting  King ! :  smite  the  children  of 
denial  and  disobedience  with  the  blanch  of  sword  and  the  brown 
of  spear ! "  So  the  Moslems  returned  to  the  Infidels  and  plied 
them  with  the  keen-edged  scymitar,  whilst  their  herald  cried 
aloud,  "  Up,  and  at  the  foes  of  the  Faith,  all  ye  who  love  the 
Prophet  Elect,  with  hope  of  salvation  on  the  Day  of  Fear,  to  win 
favour  of  the  Bountiful,  the  Forgiving  One  ;  for  verily  the  Garden 
of  Paradise  is  under  the  shadow  of  swords ! "  And  behold, 
Sharrkan  and  his  men  charged  down  upon  the  Infidels  and  cut 
off  their  retreat  and  wheeled  and  tourneyed  among  the  ranks ; 
when  lo !  a  knight  of  goodly  presence  opened  a  passage  through 
the  army  of  Unbelievers  and  circled  hither  and  thither  amongst 
the  Deniers.  cutting  and  thrusting  and  covering  the  ground  with 
heads  and  trunks,  so  that  the  Faithless  feared  him  and  their  necks 
bent  under  his  lunge  and  hew.  He  was  girt  with  two  swords,  his 
glances  and  his  brand,  and  he  was  armed  with  two  lances,  one  of 
bamboo-cane  and  the  other  his  straight  wand-like  shape  ;  and  his 
flowing  hair  stood  him  in  stead  of  many  warriors,  even  as  saith 
the  poet:— 


230  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

Laud  notlong  hair,1  except  it  be  dispread  o  In  two-fold  locks,  on  day  of 
fight  and  fray, 

O'er  youth  who  bears  his  lance  'twixt  flank  and  thigh,  o  From  many  a  whis- 
kered knight  to  win  the  day. 

And  as  singeth  another  : — 

I  say  to  him,  what  while  he  slings  his  sword,  o  "  For  sword  shall  serve  thosefl 

looks  that  sword-like  show  !  " 
Says  he,  "  My  sabre-looks  for  those  I  love,  o   My    sword     for    those    wba 

sweets  of  love  unknow  ! " 

When  Sharrkan  saw  him,  he  said  to  him,  "  I  conjure  thee  by  the 
Koran  and  the  attributes  of  the  Compassionate  One,  O  Cham- 
pion of  the  Champions !  tell  me  who  thou  art :  for  verily  by  thy 
deeds  this  day  thou  hast  pleased  the  Requiting  King,  whom  one 
thing  distracteth  not  from  other  thing ;  in  that  thou  hast  been 
discomfiting  the  children  of  impiety  and  in  rebellion  revelling." 
Then  cried  the  Cavalier  to  him  saying,  "  Thou  art  he  who  madest 
brother-covenant  with  me  but  yesterday :  how  quickly  thou  hast 
forgotten  me  ! "  Thereupon  he  withdrew  his  mouth- veil,2  so  that 
what  was  hidden  of  his  beauty  was  disclosed,  and  lo  !  it  was  none 
other  than  Zau  al-Makan.  Then  Sharrkan  rejoiced  in  his  brother, 
save  that  he  feared  for  him  the  rush  of  fighting  and  the  crush  of 
braves  a-smtting ;  and  this  for  two  reasons,  the  first,  his  tender 
age  and  exposure  to  the  evil  eye,  and  the  second,  that  his  safety 
was  to  the  kingdom  the  greater  of  the  two  overshadowing  wings. 
So  he  said  to  him,  "  O  King !  thou  riskest  thy  life,  so  join  thy 
steed  to  mine ;  in  very  sooth  I  fear  for  thee  from  the  foe ;  and 
better  thou  stint  hazarding  thyself  forth  of  these  squadrons,  that 
we  may  shoot  at  the  enemy  thine  unerring  shaft."  Quoth  Zau 
al-Makan,  "  I  desire  to  even  thee  in  fray  and  I  will  not  be  niggard 


1  Mohammed  allowed  his  locks  to  grow  down  to  his  ear-lobes  but  never  lower. 

2  Arab.  "  Lisam  "  I  have  explained  as  a  covering  for  the  lower  face,  made  by  drawing 
over  it  the  corner  of  the  head-kerchief  (Pilgrimage  i.  346).      The  Lisam  of  the  African 
Tawarik  hoods  the  eyes  so  that  a  man  must  turn  up  his  face  to  see,  and.  swathes  all  the 
lower  half,  leaving  only  the  nose  exposed.     And  this  is  worn  by  many  men  by  night  as 
well  as  by  day,  doubtless  to  avoid  the  evil  eye.     The  native  Sultans  of  Darfur,  like 
those  of  Bornu  and  others  further  west,  used  white  muslin  as  a  face-wrap  :  hence,  too, 
the  ceremonies  when  spitting,  etc.,  etc.     The  Kufiyah  or  head-kerchief  of  the  Arabs 
soon  reached  Europe  and  became  in  Low  Latin  Cuphia ;    in  Spanish  Escofia ;   in  Ital.. 
Cuffia  or  Scuffia  ;  in  French  Escoffion,  Scofion  (Reine  Marguerite)  Coe'ffe  (une  pellicule, 
marque  de  bonheur),  Coiffe  and  Coife,  &c. ;   the  Scotch  Curch  or  Coif,  opposed  to  the 
maiden  snood  ;  and,  lastly  our   Sergeant-at-Law's  Coif.    Littre,  the  Learned,  who  in 
^erudition  was  ne  coifft,  has  missed  this  obvious  derivation. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nrfuman  and  his  Sons.       231 

of  myself  before  thee  in  the  mellay."  Then  the  host  of  Al-Islam, 
heaping  itself  upon  the  Infidels,  girt  them  on  all  sides,  warred  on 
them  a  right  Holy  War,  and  brake  the  power  of  the  children  of 
impiety  and  pride  and  stowre.  But  King  Afridun  sighed  when 
he  saw  the  evil  wreak  that  had  fallen  on  the  Greek,  and  they 
turned  their  backs  from  fight  and  addressed  themselves  to  flight, 
making  for  the  ships,  when  lo !  there  came  out  upon  them  from 
the  sea-coast  another  host,  led  by  the  Minister  Dandan,  the 
champion  who  was  wont  to  make  champions  bite  the  dust,  and 
to  lay  load  on  them  with  cut  and  thrust.  Nor  less  came  forth 
the  Emir  Bahram,  Lord  of  the  Provinces  of  Sham,  amid  twenty 
thousand  horse  doughty  of  arm  ;  and  the  host  of  Al-Islam  pressed 
them  in  front  and  on  flank  and  wrought  them  grievous  harm. 
Then  a  body  of  the  Moslems  turned  against  those  who  in  the 
ships  remained,  and  perdition  on  them  rained,  till  they  threw 
themselves  into  the  main,  and  they  slew  of  them  many  slain, 
more  than  a  hundred  thousand  noblemen,  nor  was  one  of  their 
champions,  great  or  small,  saved  from  bale  and  bane.  Moreover, 
they  took  their  ships,  with  all  the  money  and  treasure  and  cargo, 
save  a  score  of  keel,  and  the  Moslems  got  that  loot  whose  like 
was  never  gotten  in  by-gone  years  ;  nor  was  such  cut  and  thrust 
ever  heard  of  by  men's  ears.1  Now  amongst  the  booty  were 
fifty  thousand  horses,  besides  treasute  and  spoil  past  reckoning 
and  arithmetic,  whereat  the  Moslems  rejoiced  with  an  exceeding 
joy  for  that  Allah  had  given  them  victory  and  protection.  Such 
was  the  case  with  them  ;  but  as  regards  the  fugitive  Infidels  they 
soon  reached  Constantinople,  whither  the  tidings  preceded  them 
that  King  Afridun  had  prevailed  over  the  Moslems;  so  quoth 
the  ancient  dame,  Zat  al-Dawahi,  "  I  know  that  my  son  Hardub, 
King  of  Roum,  is  no  runagate  and  that  he  feareth  not  the  Islamitic 
hosts,  but  will  restore  the  whole  world  to  the  Nazarene  faith." 
Then  she  bade  the  Great  King,  Afridun,  give  command  that  the 
city  be  decorated,  and  the  people  held  festival  high  and  drank 
their  wines  drunkenly  and  knew  not  the  decrees  of  Destiny  Now 
whilst  they  were  in  the  midst  of  their  rejoicings,  behold,  the  raven 
of  dule  and  downfall  croaked  over  them,  and  up  came  the  twenty 
fugitive  ships  wherein  was  the  King  of  Caesarea.  So  King  Afridun, 
Lord  of  Constantinople,  met  them  on  the  sea-shore,  and  they  told 
him  all  that  had  befallen  them  from  the  Moslem,  and  they  wept 

1  "Cutting,"  throughout  the  book,  alludes  to  the  scymitat  with  which  Arabs  never 
£ivc  point  i  and  «'  thrusting  "  to  the  footman's  spear  and  the  horseman's  lance. 


Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

sore  and  groaned  and  moaned ;  and  rejoicing  at  weal  was  turned 
into  dismay  for  unheal ;  and  they  informed  him  concerning  Luka 
son  of  Shamlut,  how  calamity  had  betided  him  and  how  Death  had 
shot  him  with  his  shaft.  Thereat  the  horrors  of  Doomday  rose 
upon  King  Afridun,1  and  he  knew  that  there  was  no  making 
straight  their  crook.  Then  came  up  from  them  the  sound  of 
j  weeping  and  wailing ;  the  city  was  full  of  men  mourning  and  the 
Ikeeners  were  keening,  and  sighs  and  cries  were  heard  from  all 
( sides.  And  when  King  Hardub  of  Greece  met  King  Afridun  he 
kold  him  the  truth  of  the  case  and  how  the  flight  of  the  Moslems 
was  by  way  of  stratagem  and  deceit,  and  said  to  him,  "  Look  not 
to  see  any  of  the  army,  save  those  who  have  already  reached 
thee."  When  King  Afridun  heard  these  words  he  fell  down  in  a 
fainting  fit,  with  his  nose  under  his  feet ;  and,  as  soon  as  he 
revived,  he  exclaimed,  "  Surely  the  Messiah  was  wroth  with  them 
that  he  caused  the  Moslems  to  prevail  over  them !  "  Then  came 
the  Arch- Patriarch  sadly  to  the  King  who  said  to  him,  "  O  our 
father,  annihilation  hath  overtaken  our  army  and  the  Messiah  hath 
punished  us!"  Replied  the  Patriarch,  " Grieve  not  nor  feel  con- 
cerned, for  it  cannot  be  but  that  one  of  you  have  sinned  against 
the  Messiah,  and  all  have  been  punished  for  his  offence ;  but  now 
we  will  read  prayers  for  you  in  the  churches,  that  the  Mohammedan 
hosts  may  be  repelled  from  you."  After  which  the  old  woman, 
Zat  al-Dawahi,  came  to  Afridun  and  said  to  him,  "  O  King,  verily 
the  Moslem  hosts  are  many,  and  we  shall  never  overcome  them 
save  by  wile :  wherefor  I  purpose  to  work  upon  them  by  guile  and 
repair  to  this  army  of  Al-Islam,  haply  I  may  win  my  wish  of  their 
leader  and  slay  their  champion,  even  as  I  slew  his  father.  If  my 
stratagem  succeed  in  his  case,  not  one  of  the  host  he  leads  shall 
return  to  his  native  land,  for  all  are  strong  only  because  of  him ; 
but  I  desire  to  have  some  Christian  dwellers  of  Syria,  such  as  go 
out  every  month  and  year  to  sell  their  goods,  that  they  may  help 
me  (for  this  they  can  do)  in  carrying  out  my  plan."  Replied  the 
King,  "Be  it  so  whenever  thou  wilt."  So  she  bade  fetch  an 
hundred  men,  natives  of  Najran,2  in  Sham,  and  the  King  asked 

1  A  popular  phrase,  I  repeat,  for  extreme  terror  and  consternation. 

2  Ths  name  usually  applies  to  a  well-known  district  and  city  of  Al-Yaman,  where 
"Koss  the  eloquent"   was  bishop  in  Mohammed's  day:  the  Negiran  of  D'Herbelot. 
Here,  however,  it  is  the  Syrian  Najran  (Nejran  of  Missionary  Porter's  miserable  Hand- 
book) ;  now  a  wretched  village  near  the  volcanic  Lajja,  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  direct  south  of  Damascus  and  held  by  Druzes  and  Christians. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       233 

them,  "  Have  ye  not  heard  what  hath  befallen  the  Christians  with 
the  Moslems  ?  "  '  "  Yes,"  answered  they ;  and  he  rejoined,  "  Know 
ye  that  this  woman  hath  devoted  her  life  to  the  Messiah  and  pur- 
poseth  to  go  forth  with  you,  disguised  as  Monotheists  and  Moham- 
medans, to  work  out  a  device  which  shall  profit  us  and  hinder  the 
Moslem  from  us :  say,  then,  are  ye  also  willing  to  devote  yourselves 
to  the  Anointed  and  I  will  give  you  a  quintal  of  gold  ? l  He  of 
(you  who  escapeth  shall  have  the  money,  and  him  of  you  who  dieth 
[will  the  Messiah  reward."  "  O  King,"  replied  they,  "  we  will  devote 
our  lives  to  the  Messiah,  and  we  will  be  thy  sacrifice."  Thereupon 
the  old  woman  took  all  she  required  of  aromatic  roots  and  placed 
them  in  water  which  she  boiled  over  the  fire  till  the  black  essence 
of  them  was  extracted.  She  waited  till  the  decoction  was  cold, 
then  dipped  the  corner  of  a  long  kerchief  therein  and  stained  her 
face  therewith.  Moreover,  she  donned  over  her  clothes  a  long 
gaberdine  with  an  embroidered  border  and  took  in  her  hand  a 
rosary,  and  afterwards  went  in  to  King  Afridun,  who  knew  her 
not,  nor  did  any  of  his  companions  know  her,  till  she  discovered 
herself  to  them :  and  there  was  none  in  the  assembly  but  who 
thanked  and  praised  her  for  her  cunning ;  and  her  son  rejoiced 
and  said,  "May  the  Messiah  never  fail  thee!"  Thereupon  she 
took  with  her  the  Syrian  Christians,  and  set  out  for  the  army  of 
Baghdad. — And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased 
saying  her  permitted  say. 


SToto  tofcn  it  toa*  t&e 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  King 
Afridun  heard  these  words,  he  fell  into  a  fainting-fit  with  his  nose 
under  his  feet;  and,  as  soon  as  he  revived,  fear  fluttered  the 
scrotum 2  below  his  belly  and  he  complained  to  the  ancient  dame, 
Zat  al-Dawahi.  Now  this  accursed  old  woman  was  a  witch  of  the 
witches,  past  mistress  in  sorcery  and  deception  ;  wanton  and  wily, 
deboshed  and  deceptious  ;  with  foul  breath,  red  eyelids,  yellow 
cheeks,  dull-brown  face,  eyes  bleared,  mangy  body,  hair  grizzled, 
back  humped,  skin  withered  and  wan  and  nostrils  which  ever  ran. 


1  The  Kan  tar  (quintal)  of  100  rails  (Ibs.)  =  98-99  Ibs.  avoir. 
1  Arab.  "Jurab"  (bag)  mi'adat-ih  (of  his  belly),  the  "  curdling  of  the  testicles' 
fear  is  often  mentioned. 


234  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

But  she  had  studied  the  scriptures  of  Al-Islam  and  had  made  the 
Pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  House  of  Meccah  and  all  this  that  she 
might  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Mohammedan  ordinances 
and  the  miraculous  versets  of  the  Koran  ;  and  she  had  professed 
Judaism  in  the  Holy  City  of  Jerusalem !  for  two  years'  space,  that 
she  might  master  the  magic  of  men  and  demons ;  so  that  she  was 
a  plague  of  plagues  and  a  pest  of  pests,  wrong-headed  as  to  belief 
and  to  no  religion  lief.  Now  the  chief  reason  of  her  sojourn  with 
her  son,  King  Hardub  of  Greece,  was  on  account  of  the  slave 
virgins  at  his  court :  for  she  was  given  to  tribadism a  and  could  not 
exist  without  sapphism  or  she  went  mad:  so  if  any  damsel 
pleased  her,  she  was  wont  to  teach  her  the  art  of  rubbing  clitoris 
against  clitoris  and  would  anoint  her  with  saffron 8  till  she  fainted 
away  for  excess  of  volupty.  Whoso  obeyed  her  she  was  wont  to 
favour  and  make  her  son  incline  towards  her ;  but  whoso  repelled 
her  she  would  contrive  to  destroy  ;  and  so  she  abode  for  a  length 
of  time.  This  was  known  to  Marjanah  and  Rayhanah  and 
Utrijah,  the  handmaids  of  Abrizah,  and  their  Princess  loathed 
the  old  woman  and  abhorred  to  lie  with  her,  because  of  the  rank 
smell  from  her  armpits,  the  stench  of  her  fizzles  more  fetid  than 


1  Clearly  alluding  to  the  magic  so  deeply  studied  by  mediaeval  Jews. 

2  Arab.  "Sahdkah,"  lit.  rubbing.      The  Moslem  Harem  is  a  great  school  for  this 
"Lesbian  (which  I  would  call  Atossan)  love";   but  the  motive  of  the  practice  lies 
deeper.     As  amongst  men  the  mixture  of  the  feminine  with  the  masculine  temperament 
leads  to  sodomy,  so  the  reverse  makes  women  prefer  their  own  sex.    These  tribades  are 
mostly  known  by  peculiarities  of  form  and  features,  hairy  cheeks  and  upper  lips,  gruff 
voices,  hircine  odour  and  the  large  projecting  clitoris  with  erectile  powers  known   to 
the    Arabs  as  "bazar"  (J^),   hence   Tabzir  =  circumcision  or  amputation  of   such 
clitoris.     Burckhardt  (Prov.  436)  translates  "  Bazarah  "  by  slut  or  wench.     He  adds  "  it 
originally  signifies  the  labia  which  the  Cairenes  also  entitle  Zambur  and  which  are  cut 
off  in  girlhood."     See  also  Lane,  Lex.  s.  v. ;  Tabzir.     Both  writers  confuse  excision  of 
the  nymphae  with  circumcision  of  the  clitoris  (Zambur).     Al-Siyuti.(Kitab  al-Iza'  fi'Ilm 
al-Nikah)  has  a  very  interesting  chapter  on  Sapphic  venery,  which  is  well  known  to 
Europe  as  proved  by  such  works  as  "Gamiani,"  and  "Anandria  on  Confessions  de 
Mademoiselle  Sappho,  avec  la  Clef,"  Lesbos,  1778.     Onanism  is  fatally  prevalent :  in 
many  Harems  and  girls'  schools  tallow-candles  and  similar  succedania  are  vainly  for- 
bidden and  bananas  when  detected  are  cut  into  four  so  as  to  be  useless  ;  of  late  years, 
however,  China  has  sent  some  marvellous  artificial  phalli  of  stuffed  bladder,  horn  and 
even  caoutchouc,  the  latter  material  of  course  borrowed  from  Europe. 

3  This,  is  considered  a  powerful  aphrodisiac  in  the  East.     Hence  male  devotees  are 
advised  to  avoid  the  "two  reds,"  i.e.  meat  and  wine;  while  the  "two  reds,"  which 
corrupt  women,  are  gold  and  saffron,  that  is   perfumery.     Hence  also  the  saying  of 
Mohammed  : — "  Perfumes  for  men  should  have  scent  and  not  colour;  for  women  should 
have  colour  and  not  scent."    (Mishkat  aT-Masabih  ii.  361.) 


'  ?'v  ', 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.       235 

carrion,  and  the  roughness  of  her  hide  coarser  than  palm  fibre. 
She  was  wont  to  bribe  those  who  rubbed  parts  with  her  by  means 
of  jewels  and  instructions ;  but  Abrizah  held  aloof  from  her  and 
sought  refuge  with  the  Omnipotent,  the  Omniscient ;  for,  by  Allah, 
right  well  quoth  the  poet : — 

Ho  thou  who  grovellest  low  before  the  great  o  Nor  over-lording  lesser  men  dost 
blench, 

Who  gildest  dross  by  dirham-gathering,  o  No  ottar-scent  disguises  carrion- 
stench  ! 

And  now  to  return  to  the  story  of  her  stratagem  and  the  woes 
of  her  working.  Presently  she  departed,  taking  the  chief  Naza- 
renes  with  their  hosts,  and  turned  towards  the  army  of  the 
Moslems.  Whereupon  King  Hardub  went  in  to  King  Afridun 
and  said  to  him,  "  O  King,  we  have  no  need  of  the  Chief  Patriarch 
nor  of  his  prayers,  but  will  consult  my  mother's  counsel  and 
observe  what  she  will  do  with  her  craft  unending  against  the 
Moslem  hosts ;  for  these  are  marching  with  all  their  power,  they 
will  soon  be  upon  us  and  they  will  encircle  us  on  all  sides."  When 
King  Afridun  heard  this,  terror  took  hold  upon  his  heart  and  he 
wrote  letters,  without  stay  or  delay,  to  all  the  nations  of  the  Naza- 
renes,  saying,  "  It  behoveth  none  of  the  Messiahites  or  Cross- 
knights  to  hold  back,  especially  the  folk  of  the  strongholds  and 
forts :  but  let  them  all  come  to  us,  foot  and  horse,  women  and 
children,  for  the  Moslem  hosts  already  tread  our  soil.  So  haste ! 
haste  ye !  ere  what  we  fear  to  us  here  appear."  Thus  much  con- 
cerning them  ;  but  regarding  the  work  of  the  old  woman,  Zat  al- 
Dawahi  ;  when  she  went  forth  from  the  city  with  her  suite,  she 
clad  them  in  the  clothing  of  Moslem  merchants,  having  provided 
herself  with  an  hundred  mules  carrying  stuffs  of  Antioch,  such  as 
gold  woven  satins  and  royal  brocades  and  so  forth.  And  she  had 
taken  a  letter  from  King  Afridun  to  the  following  effect : — "  These 
be  merchantmen  from  the  land  of  Sham  who  have  been  with  us :  so 
it  besitteth  none  to  do  them  harm  or  hindrance,  nor  take  tax  and 
tithe  of  them,  till  they  reach  their  homes  and  safe  places,  for  by 
merchants  a  country  flourisheth,  and  these  are  no  men  of  war  nor 
of  ill-faith."  Then  quoth  the  accursed  Zat  al-Dawahi  to  those  with 
her,  "  Verily  I  wish  to  work  out  a  plot  for  the  destruction  of  the 
Moslem."  Replied  they, "  O  Queen,  command  us  whatso  thou  wilt; 
we  are  at  thy  disposal  and  may  the  Messiah  never  disappoint  thy 
dealings!"  Then  she  donned  a  gown  of  fine  white  wool  and  rubbed 


236  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

her  forehead,  till  she  made  a  great  mark  as  of  a  scar  and  anointed 
it  with  an  ointment  of  her  own  fashion,  so  that  it  shone  with  pro- 
digious sheen.  Now  the  old  hag  was  lean-bodied  and  hollow-eyed, 
and  she  bound  her  legs  tightly  round  with  cords1  just  above  her  feet, 
till  she  drew  near  the  Moslem  camp,  when  she  unwound  them, 
leaving  their  marks  deeply  embedded  in  her  ankles.  Then  she 
anointed  the  wheals  with  dragon's  blood  and  bade  her  companions 
beat  her  with  a  severe  beating,  and  set  her  in  a  chest  and,  quoth 
she,  "  Cry  abroad  the  Refrain  of  Unity,2  nor  fear  from  it  aught  of 
damage!"  Replied  they,  "How  can  we  beat  thee,  who  be  our 
sovereign  lady,  Zat  al-Dawahi,  mother  of  the  King  we  glory  in  ?'* 
Then  said  she,  "  We  blame  not  nor  deal  reproach  to  him  who  goeth 
to  the  jakes,  and  in  need  evil  becometh  good  deed.  When  ye  have 
set  me  in  the  chest,  take  it  and  make  it  one  of  the  bales  and  place 
it  on  mule-back  and  fare  forth  with  it  and  the  other  goods  through 
the  Moslem  camp,  and  fear  ye  no  blame.  And  if  any  of  the 
Moslems  hinder  you,  give  up  the  mules  and  their  lading  and  be- 
take yourselves  to  their  King,  Zau  al-Makan,  and  implore  his 
protection  saying:— We  were  in  the  land  of  the  Infidels  and  they 
took  nothing  from  us,  but  wrote  us  a  passport,  that  none  shall 
do  us  hindrance  or  work  our  mischance.  If  he  ask  you,  What 
profit  had  ye  of  your  property  in  the  land  of  Roum  ?  answer  him  :— 
We  profited  in  the  deliverance-  of  a  pious  man,  who  had  been 
bound  down  in  an  underground  cell  nigh  fifteen  years,  crying  out 
for  help  yet  none  helped  him.  Nay,  the  Infidels  tortured  him  night 
and  day.  We  knew  not  this  ;  but,  after  we  had  tarried  in  Constan- 
tinople for  some  time,  having  sold  our  goods  and  bought  others  in 
their  stead,  we  determined  on  and  made  ready  for  a  return  to  our 
native  land.  We  spent  that  night  conversing  about  our  journey, 
and  when  day  broke,  we  saw  figured  upon  the  wall  a  human  form  ; 
and  as  we  drew  nigh  it,  behold,  it  moved  and  said  : — O  Moslems,  is 
there  amongst  you  one  who  is  minded  to  woo  the  favour  of  the 
Lord  of  the  three  Worlds  ? 3  How  so  ?  asked  we  ;  and  the  figure 
answered  : — Know  that  Allah  hath  made  me  speak  to  you,  to  the 


1  These  are  the  "Hibas"or  thin  cords  of  wool  which  the  Badawi  binds  round  his 
legs,  I  believe  to  keep  off  cramp.     (Pilgrimage  iii.  78). 

2  Crying  out  "  La  ilaha  ilia  'llah."      (There  is  no  god  but  the  God.) ;  technically 
called  "  Tahlil.»' 

3  i.e.  Men,  angels  and  devils,  the  "  Triloka  "  (triple  people)  of  the  Hindus.     Alamin 
(plur.),  never  Alamayn  (dual),  is  the  Triregno  denoted  by  the  papal  Tiara,   the  three 
Christian  kingdoms  being  Heaven,  Hell  and  Purgatory. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       237 

intent  that  your  faith  be  fortified,  and  that  your  belief  embolden  you 
and  that  you  may  go  forth  of  the  country  of  the  Infidels  and  repair 
to  the  Moslem  host ;  for  with  them  wones  the  Sword  of  the  Com- 
passionate One,  of  our  Age  the  Champion,  King  Sharrkan,  by  whom 
He  shall  conquer  Constantinople  town  and  destroy  the  sect  of  the 
Nazarene.  And  when  ye  shall  have  journeyed  three  days,  you  will 
find  an  hermitage  known  as  the  Hermitage  of  the  ascetic  Matruhina1, 
and  containing  a  cell ;  visit  it  with  pure  intent  and  contrive  to  arrive 
there  by  force  of  will,  for  therein  is  a  Religious  from  the  Holy  City, 
Jerusalem,  by  name  Abdullah,  and  he  is  one  of  the  devoutest  of 
mankind,  endowed  with  the  power  of  working  saintly  miracles2  such 
as  dispel  doubts  and  obscurity.  Certain  of  the  monks  seized  him 
by  fraud  and  shut  him  up  in  a  souterrain  where  he  hath  lain  a  long 
time.  By  his  deliverance  you  will  please  the  Lord  of  Faithful  Men, 
for  such  release  is  better  than  fighting  for  the  Faith."  Now  when  the 
ancient  dame  and  those  with  her  had  agreed  upon  such  words,  she 
said,  "  As  soon  as  that  which  I  impart  shall  reach  the  ears  of  King 
Sharrkan,  say  him  further: — Hearing  this  from  that  image  we  knew 

that  the  holy  man" And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day 

and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 

Noto  tofjen  it  toau  tf)e  Nmets-fouttf)  Ntfijt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  the 
old  woman,  Zat  al-Dawahi,  and  those  with  her  had  agreed  upon 
such  words,  she  said,  "  Now  as  soon  as  that  which  I  impart  shall 
reach  the  ears  of  King  Sharrkan  say  him  further  : — Hearing  these 
words  from  that  image  we  knew  that  the  holy  man  was  indeed  of 
the  chiefest  devotees  and  Allah's  servants  of  purest  qualities  ;  so  we 
made  three  days*  march  till  we  came  in  sight  of  that  hermitage,  and 
then  we  went  up  to  it  and  passed  the  day  in  buying  and  selling,  as 
is  the  wont  of  merchants.  As  soon  as  day  had  departed  our  sight 
and  night  was  come  to  darken  light,  we  repaired  to  the  cell  wherein 

1  Matrahinna  or  Mit-Rahinah  is  a  well-known  village  near  Memphis  ;  the  name  being 
derived  from  the  old  Egyptian  Minat-ro-hinnu,  the  port  at  the  mouth  of  the  canal.     Let 
me  remark  that  two  of  these  three  words,  "  Minat"  and  '•  Ru,"  are  still  common  in 
"  Aryan  "  Persian. 

2  Xiramat,  a  sign,  a  prodigy,  opposed  to  Mu'ujizah,  a  miracle  wrought  by  a  prophet. 
The  Su6s  explain  this  thaumaturgy  by  Allah  changing  something  of  Nature's  ordinary 
course  in  favour  of  an  especial  worshipper ;  and,  after  a  fashion,  this  is  Catholic  doctrine 
(See  Dabistan,  lit.  173). 


238  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

was  the  dungeon,  and  we  heard  the  holy  man,  after  chanting  some 
verses  of  the  Koran,  repeat  the  following  couplets  : — 

My  heart  disheartened  is,  my  breast  is  trait,  o  And  sinks  my  soul  in  sea  of 
bale  and  bate  : 

Unless  escape  be  near  I  soon  shall  die;  «  And  Death  were  better  than 
this  doleful  strait : 

O  Lightning  an  thou  light  my  home  and  folk,  o  An  their  still  brighter  charms 
thy  shine  abate, 

Say,  what  my  path  to  meet  them,  being  barred  o  By  wars  ;  and  barricado'd  suc- 
cour's gate  ? 

"  When  once  ye  have  brought  me  into  the  Moslem  camp,  and  I  mix 
with  them  you  shall  see,"  the  old  woman  continued,  "  how  I  will 
make  shift  to  beguile  them  and  slay  them  all,  even  to  the  last  man." 
The  Nazarenes  hearing  what  she  said,  kissed  her  hands  and  set  her 
in  the  chest,  after  they  had  beaten  her  with  a  grievous  beating  in 
obedience  to  her  commands,  for  they  saw  it  was  incumbent  on  them 
to  do  her  bidding  in  this  ;  then  they  all  made  for  the  Moslem  host 
as  hath  erst  been  said.  Such  was  the  case  with  the  damned  hag, 
Zat  al-Dawahi  and  her  companions  ;  but  as  regards  the  Mohamme- 
dan army,  they  indeed,  after  Allah  had  given  them  victory  over 
their  enemies  and  they  had  plundered  everything  in  the  ships  of 
money  and  hoards,  all  sat  down  to  converse  with  one  another  and 
Zau  al-Makan  said  to  his  brother  Sharrkan,  "  Verily,  Allah  hath 
granted  us  to  prevail  because  of  our  just  dealing  and  discipline  and 
concord  amongst  ourselves ;  wherefore  continue,  O  Sharrkan,  to 
obey  my  commandment,  in  submission  to  Allah  (be  He  exalted  and 
extolled !),  for  I  mean  to  slay  ten  Kings  in  blood-revenge  for  my 
sire,  to  cut  the  throat  of  fifty  thousand  Greeks  and  to  enter  Con- 
stantinople." Replied  Sharrkan,  "  My  life  be  thy  ransom  against 
death !  Needs  must  I  follow  out  the  Holy  War,  though  I  wone 
many  a  year  in  their  country.  But  I  have,  O  my  brother,  in 
Damascus  a  daughter,  named  Kuzia  Fakan,  whom  I  love  heartily, 
for  she  is  one  of  the  marvels  of  the  time  and  she  will  soon  be  of  age." 
Said  Zau  al-Makan,  "  And  I  also  have  left  my  wife  with  child  and 
near  her  time,  nor  do  I  know  what  Allah  will  vouchsafe  me  by  her. 
But  promise  me,  O  my  brother,  that  if  Allah  bless  me  with  a  son, 
thou  wilt  grant  me  thy  daughter  for  wife  to  him,  and  make  covenant 
with  me  and  pledge  me  thy  faith  thereon."  "  With  love  and  good 
will,"  replied  Sharrkan  ;  and,  stretching  out  his  hand  to  his  brother, 
he  said,  "  If  she  bring  thee  a  son,  I  will  give  him  my  daughter  Kuzia 
Fakan*  to  wife."  At  this  Zau  al-Makan  rejoiced,  and  they  fell  to 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       239 

congratulating  each  other  on  the  victory  over  the  enemy.  And  the 
Wazir  Dandan  also  congratulated  the  two  brothers  and  said  to  them, 
"  Know,  O  ye  Kings,  that  Allah  hath  given  us  the  victory,  for  that 
we  have  devoted  our  lives  to  Him  (be  He  exalted  and  extolled  !)  ; 
and  we  have  left  our  homes  and  households  ;  and  it  is  my  counsel 
that  we  follow  up  the  foe  and  press  upon  him  and  harass  him  ;  so 
haply  Allah  shall  enable  us  to  win  our  wishes,  and  we  shall  destroy 
our  enemies,  branch  and  root.  If  it  please  you,  do  ye  go  down  in 
these  ships  and  sail  over  the  sea,  whilst  we  fare  forward  by  land 
and  bear  the  brunt  of  battle  and  the  thrust  of  fight."  And  the 
Minister  Dandan  ceased  not  to  urge  them  to  combat  and  repeated 
his  words  who  said : — 

To  slay  my  foes  is  chiefest  bliss   I  wist,         o  And  on  the  courser's  back 

t>e  borne  a-list ; 
Comes  promising  tryst  a  messenger  from  friend  o  Full  oft,  when  comes  the 

friend  withouten  tryst. 

And  these  words  of  another : — 

War  for  my  mother  (an   I  live)   I'll  take;  o  Spear  for  my  brother; 

scymitar  for  sire, 
With  every  shag-haired  brave  who  meets  his  death  o  Smiling,  till  won  from 

Doom  his  dear  desire  I 

And  when  the  Wazir  ended  his  verses,  he  said,  "  Praise  be  to  Him 
who  aided  us  dear  victory  to  uphold  and  who  hath  given  us  spoil 
of  silver  and  fine  gold ! "  Then  Zau  al-Makan  commanded  the 
army  to  depart;  and  they  fared  on  forcing  their  marches  for 
Constantinople,  till  they  came  to  a  wide  and  spacious  champaign, 
full  of  all  things  fair  and  fain,  with  wild  cattle  frisking  and  gazelles 
pacing  to  and  fro  across  the  plain.  Now  they  had  traversed  great 
deserts  and  drink  had  been  six  days  cut  off  from  them,  when  they 
drew  near  this  meadow  and  saw  therein  waters  founting  and  ripe 
fruits  flaunting  and  that  land  as  it  were  Paradise ;  for  it  had 
donned  its  adornments  and  decked  itself.1  Gently  waved  the 
branches  of  its  trees  drunken  with  the  new  wine  of  the  dew,  and 
combined  with  the  nectar  of  Tasnim  the  soft  breathings  of  the 
morning  breeze.  Mind  and  gazer  were  confounded  by  its  beauty, 
even  as  saith  the  poet : — 


1  Koran,  x.  25,  "until  the  earth  receive  its  vesture  and  be  adorned  with  various 
plants." 


240  A  If  Laylah  vua  Laylah. 

Behold  this  lovely  garden!    'tis  as  though     o  Spring   o'er    its    frame    her 

greeny  cloak  had  spread. 
Looking  with  fleshly  eyne,  thou  shalt  but  sight  o  A  lake  whose  waters  balance 

in  their  bed ; 
But  look  with  spirit-eyes  and  lo !   shalt  see    o  Glory  in  every  leaf  o'erwaves. 

thy  head. 

And  as  another  saith  : — 

The  stream's  a  cheek  by  sunlight  rosy  dyed,       o  Whose    down  *    is    creeping 

shade  of  tamarisk-stems  ; 
Round  legs  of  tree-trunks  wavelets  roll  in  rings  o  Silvern,  and  blossoms  are  the 

diadems. 

When  Zau  al-Makan  saw  this  champaign,  with  its  trees  bowing  and 
its  flowers  blooming  and  its  birds  warbling,  he  called  to  his  brother 
Sharrkan  and  said,  "  O  my  brother,  verily  in  Damascus  is  naught 
the  like  of  this  place.  We  will  not  march  from  it  save  after  three 
days,  that  we  may  take  rest  ourselves  and  that  the  army  of  Al- 
Islam  may  regain  strength  and  their  souls  be  fortified  to  encounter 
the  blamed  Infidels."  So  they  halted  therein  and  while  camping 
behold,  they  heard  a  noise  of  voices  from  afar,  and  Zau  al-Makan 
asked  the  cause  thereof,  and  was  answered  that  a  caravan  of 
merchants  from  the  Land  of  Syria  had  halted  there  to  rest  and 
that  the  Moslem  troops  had  come  on  them  and  had  haply  seized 
something  of  the  goods  which  they  had  brought  from  the  country 
of  the  Infidels.  After  a  while  up  came  the  merchants,  crying  out 
and  appealing  to  the  King  for  aidance.  When  Zau  al-Makan  saw 
this,  he  bade  them  be  brought  before  him  and,  when  in  presence, 
they  said  to  him,  "  O  King,  we  have  been  in  the  country  of  the 
Infidels  and  they  plundered  us  of  nothing:  why  then  do  our 
brothers  the  Moslems  despoil  our  goods,  and  we  in  their  own 
land  ?  Of  a  truth  when  we  saw  your  troops,  we  went  up  to  them, 
and  they  robbed  us  of  what  we  had  with  us  and  we  have  now 
reported  to  thee  all  that  hath  befallen  us."  Thereupon  they 
brought  out  to  him  the  letter  of  the  King  of  Constantinople,  and 
Sharrkan  read  it  and  said,  "  We  will  presently  restore  to  you  what 
hath  been  taken  from  you  ;  but  yet  it  behoveth  you  not  to  carry 
merchandise  to  the  country  of  the  Infidels."  Replied  they,  "  O  our 
Lord,  in  very  sooth  Allah  despatched  us  thither  that  we  might 
win  what  Ghdzi2  never  won  the  like  of,  not  even  thou  in  all  thy 

1  i.e.  the  young  hair  sprouting  on  the  boy's  cheek. 

2  A  fighter  for  the  faith  and  now  a  title  which  follows  the  name,  e.g.  Osmin  Pasha 
Ghazi,  whom  the  English  press  dubbed  "  Ghazi  Osman." 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       241 

razzias."  Asked  Sharrkan,  "  What  was  it  ye  won?"  "O.King," 
answered  they,  "we  will  not  tell  thee  save  in  private;  for  if  this 
matter  be  noised  among  the  folk,  haply  it  may  come  to  the  ears  of 
some,1  and  this  will  be  the  cause  of  our  ruin  and  of  the  ruin  of  all 
Moslems  who  resort  to  the  land  of  the  Greeks."  Now  they  had 
hidden  the  chest  wherein  was  the  damned  Zat  al-Dawahi.  So  Zau 
al-Makan  and  his  brother  brought  them  to  a  private  place,  where 
they  laid  bare  to  both  of  them  the  story  of  the  devotee,  and  wept 

till  they  made  the  two  Kings  weep And  Shahrazad  perceived 

the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 

jfloto  tofjm  ft  toa0  tfje  ifitnetfi-fiftf)  Jltfli)*, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  Nazarenes 
who  wore  merchants'  weed,  when  brought  to  a  private  place  by  Zau 
al-Makan  and  his  brother  Sharrkan,  laid  bare  to  both  of  them  the 
story  of  the  devotee  and  wept  till  they  made  the  two  Kings  weep 
and  repeated  to  them  all  which  had  been  taught  by  the  old  witch 
Zat  al-Dawahi.  Thereupon  Sharrkan's  heart  yearned  to  the  devotee 
and  he  was  moved  to  ruth  for  him  and  was  fired  with  zeal  for  the 
service  of  Almighty  Allah.  So  quoth  he  to  them,  "  Did  ye  rescue 
this  holy  man  or  is  he  still  in  the  hermitage  ?  "  Quoth  they,  "  We 
delivered  him  and  slew  the  hermit,  fearing  for  our  lives ;  after 
which  we  made  haste  to  fly  for  dread  of  death  ;  but  a  trusty  man 
told  us  that  in  this  hermitage  are  quintals  of  gold  and  silver  and 
stones  of  price."  Then  they  fetched  the  chest  and  brought  out  the 
accursed  old  woman,  as  she  were  a  cassia-pod 2  for  excess  of  black- 
ness and  leanness,  and  she  was  laden  with  the  same  fetters  and 
shackles.  When  Zau  al-Makan  and  the  bystanders  saw  her,  they 
took  her  for  a  man  of  the  best  of  Allah's  devotees  and  surpassing 
in  pious  qualities,  more  especially  because  of  the  shining  of  her 
forehead  for  the  ointment  wherewith  she  had  anointed  her  face. 
So  Zau  al-Makan  and  Sharrkan  wept  sore ;  then  they  rose  up  in 
honour  and  kissed  her  hands  and  feet,  sobbing  aloud  :  but  she 
signed  to  them  and  said,  "  Cease  this  weeping  and  hear  my  words." 
Hereat  they  dried  their  tears  in  obedience  to  her  bidding,  and  she 
said,  "  Know  ye  both  that  I  was  content  to  accept  what  my  Lord 

1  That  is  the  King  of  Constantinople. 

a  Cassia  fistularis,  a  kind  of  carob:  "Shambar"  is  the  Arab,  form  of  the. Persian 
"Chambar." 

VOL.  II.  Q 


242  A  If  Lay  la  k  wa  Laylak. 

did  unto  me,  for  I  kenned  that  the  affliction  which  befel  me  was  a 
trial  from  Him  (be  He  exalted  and  extolled!);  and  whoso  hath  not 
patience  under  calamity  and  tribulation,  for  him  there  is  no  coming 
to  the  delights  of  Paradise.  I  had  indeed  supplicated  Him  that  I 
might  return  to  my  native  land,  not  as  a  compensation  for  the 
sufferings  decreed  to  me,  but  that  I  might  die  under  the  horse- 
hoofs  of  warriors  fighting  for  the  Faith  who,  being  slain  in 
fray,  live  again  without  suffering  death."1  Then  she  repeated  the 
following  couplets : — 

Our  Fort  is  Tor,2  and  flames  the  fire  of  fight :      o  Moses  art  thou  and  this 

is  time  for  aid  : 
Cast  down  thy  rod,  'twill  swallow  all  they  wrought,  o  Nor  dread  for  men  their 

ropes  be  vipers  made  :3 
For  Chapters  read  on  fight-day  lines  of  foes,  o  And  on  their  necks  'grave 

versets4  wi'  thy  blade  ! 

1  Koran,  ii.  149.     Hence  the  vulgar  idea  that  Martyrs  are  still  alive  in  the  flesh.     See 
my  Pilgrimage  (ii.  Ho  and  elsewhere)  for  the  romantic  and  picturesque  consequences  of 
that  belief.    The  Commentators  (Jalal  al-Dfn,  etc.)  play  tricks  with  the  Koranic  words, 
"they  (martyrs)  are  not  dead  but  living"  (iii.  179)  by  placing  the  happy  souls  in  the 
crops  of  green  birds  which  eat  of  the  fruits  and  drink  of  the  waters  of  Paradise  ;  whereas 
the  reprobates  and  the  (very)  wicked  are  deposited  in  black  birds  which  drain  the  sanies 
and  the  boiling  waters  of  Hell.     Amongst  the  Greeks  a  body  remaining  entire  long 
after  death  suggests  Anathema  Maranatha :  it  is  the  contrary  with  Catholic  Christians 
(Boccaccio  iv.  5,  of  the  Pot  of  Basil).       Concerning  this  creed  see  Maundrell,  Letter 
of  1698. 

2  Tor  is  "Mount  Sinai "  in  the  Koran  (xcv.  i).     I  have  only  to  repeat  my  opinion 
concerning  the  present  site  so  called  :  "  It  is  evident  that  Jebel  Serbal  dates  only  from 
the  early  days  of  Coptic  Christianity ;  that  Jebel  Musa,  its  Greek  rival,  rose  after  the 
visions  of  Helena  in  the  fourth  century  ;  whilst  the  building  of  the  Convent  by  Justinian 
belongs  to  A.D.  527,    Ras  Safsafah,  its  rival  to  the  north,  is  an  affair  of  yesterday,  and 
may  be  called  the  invention  of  Robinson  ;  and  Jebel  Katerina,  to  the  South  is  the  pro- 
perty of  Ruppell"  (Midian  Revisited  i.,  237.)-     I  would  therefore  call  the  "Sinaitic" 
Peninsula,  Peninsula  of  Paran  in  old  days  and  Peninsula  of  Tor  (from  its  chief  port)  in 
our  time.     It  is  still  my  conviction  that  the  true  Mount  Sinai  will  be  found  in  Jabal 
Araif,  or  some  such  unimportant  height  to  the  north  of  the  modern  Hajj-road  from  Suez  to 
Akabah.    Even  about  the  name  (which  the  Koran  writes  "  Saina  "  and  "  Sinin  ")  there  is 
i  dispute  :  It  is  usually  derived  from  the  root  "  Sanah  "  =  sentis,  a  bush ;  but  this  is  not 
satisfactory.     Our  eminent  Assyriologist,  Professor  Sayce,  would  connect  it  with  "  Sin," 
the  Assyrian  Moon-god,  as  Mount  Nebo  with  the  Sun-god  and  he  expects  to  find  there 
the  ruins  of  a  Lunar  temple  as  a  Solar  fane  stands  on  Ba'al  Zapuna  (Baal  Zephon)  or 
the  classical  Mount  Casius. 

*  Alluding  to  the  miracle  of  Aaron's  rod  (the  gift  of  Jethro)  as  related  in  the  Koran 
(chapts.  vii.  I.,  xx.,  etc.),  where  the  Egyptian  sorcerers  threw  down  thick  ropes  which 
by  their  magic  twisted  and  coiled  like  serpents. 

4  Arab.  "Ayat"  lit.  "signs,"  here  "miracles  of  the  truth,"  I.e.  Koranic  versets 
as  opposed  to  chapters.  The  ranks  of  the  enemy  represent  the  latter,  sword-cuts  the 
former— a  very  persuasive  mode  of  preaching. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  dl-Ni?untan  and  his  Sons.       243 

When  the  old  woman  had  ended  her  verse,  her  eyes  overflowed 
with  tears  and  her  forehead  under  the  unguent  shone  like  gleaming 
light,  and  Sharrkan  rose  and  kissed  her  hand  and  caused  food  be 
brought  before  her  :  but  she  refused  it,  saying,  "  I  have  not  broken 
my  fast  by  day  for  fifteen  years  ;  and  how  should  I  break  it  at  such 
a  time  when  my  Lord  hath  been  bountiful  to  me  in  delivering  me 
from  the  captivity  of  the  Infidels  and  removing  from  me  that 
which  was  more  grievous  to  me  than  torment  of  fire  ?  I  will  wait 
till  sun-down."  So  when  it  was  nightfall,  Sharrkan  and  Zau  al- 
Makan  came  and  served  her  with  food  and  said,  "  Eat.  O  ascetic ! " 
But  she  said,  "  This  is  no  time  for  eating ;  it  is  the  time  for  wor- 
shipping the  Requiting  King."  Then  she  stood  up  in  the  prayer- 
niche  and  remained  praying  till  the  night  was  spent;  and  she 
ceased  not  to  do  after  this  fashion  for  three  days  and  nights,  sitting 
not  but  at  the  time  of  the  Saldm  or  salutation  *  ending  the  several 
prayers.  When  Zau  al-Makan  saw  her  on  this  wise,  firm  belief  in 
her  gat  hold  of  his  heart  and  he  said  to  Sharrkan,  "  Cause  a  tent 
of  perfumed  leather  to  be  pitched  for  this  Religious,  and  appoint  a 
body  servant  to  wait  upon  him."  On  the  fourth  day  she  called  for 
food  ;  so  they  brought  her  all  kinds  of  meats  that  could  seduce 
the  sense  or  delight  the  sight ;  but  of  all  this  she  would  eat  only 
a  scone  with  salt.  Then  she  again  turned  to  her  fast  and,  as  the 
night  came,  she  rose  anew  to  pray  ;  when  Sharrkan  said  to  Zau 
al-Makan,  "  Verily,  this  man  carrieth  renunciation  of  the  world 
to  the  extreme  of  renouncing,  and,  were  it  not  for  this  Holy 
War,  I  would  join  myself  to  him  and  worship  Allah  in  his  service, 
till  I  came  before  His  presence.  And  now  I  desire  to  enter  his 
tent  and  talk  with  him  for  an  hour."  Quoth  Zau  al-Makan,  "  And 
I  also :  to-morrow  we  sally  forth  to.  fight  against  Constantinople, 
and  we  shall  find  no  time  like  the  present."  Said  the  Wazir 
Dandan,  "  And  I  no  less  desire  to  see  this  ascetic ;  haply  he  will 
pray  for  me  that  I  find  death  in  this  Holy  War  and  come  to  the 
presence  of  my  Lord,  for  I  am  aweary  of  the  world."  So  as  soon 
as  night  had  darkened,  they  repaired  to  the  tent  of  that  witch, 
Zat  al-Dawahi ;  and,  seeing  her  standing  to  pray,  they  drew  near 
her  and  fell  a-weeping  for  pity  of  her ;  but  she  paid  no  heed  to 
them  till  midnight  was  past,  when  she  ended  her  orisons  by  pro- 


1  Lane  (M.  E.  chapt.  iii.)  shows  by  a  sketch  the  position  of  the  worshipper  daring 
this  "  Salam  "  which  is  addressed,  some  say,  to  the  guardian  angels,  others  suppose  to 
all  brother -believers  and  angels. 


244  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

nouncing  the  salutation.      Then  she  turned   to  them  and  after 
wishing   them   long  life,   asked   them   "  Wherefore   come   ye  ? "  ; 
whereto  they  answered,  "  O  thou  holy  man  !    diddest  thou  not 
hear   us   weep   around   thee  ?  "       She   rejoined,   "  To   him   who 
standeth   in   the  presence  of  Allah,   remaineth   no   existence  in 
time,   either  for  hearing  any  or  for  seeing  aught  about  him." 
Quoth   they,  "  We  would   have  thee  recount   to  us  the  cause  of 
thy  captivity  and  pray  for  us  this  night,  for  that  will   profit  us 
more  than  the  possession  of  Constantinople."      Now  when   she 
heard  their  words  she  said,  "  By  Allah,  were  ye  not  the  Emirs 
of  the  Moslems,  I  would  not  relate  to  you  aught  of  this  at  any 
time  ;  for  I  complain  not  but  to  Allah  alone.     However,  to  you 
I  will  relate  the  circumstances  of  my  captivity.      Know,  then, 
that  I  was  in  the  saintly  City  of  Jerusalem  with  certain  ecstatics 
and  inspired  men,  and  did  not  magnify  myself  among  them,  for 
that  Allah  (be  He  exalted  and  extolled !)  had  endowed  me  with 
humility  and  abnegation,  till  I  chanced  to  go  down  to  the  sea  one 
night  and  walked  upon  the  water.     Then  entered  into  me  pride  ; 
whence  I  know  not,  and  I  said  to  myself: — Who  like  me  can  walk 
the  water?     And  my  heart  from  that  time  hardened  and  Allah 
afflicted  me  with  the  love  of  travel.     So  I  journeyed  to  Roum-land 
and  visited  every  part   for  a  whole  year,  and  left  no  place  but 
therein  I  worshiped  Allah.     When  I  came  to  this  spot,1  I  clomb 
the  mountain  and  saw  there  an  hermitage,  inhabited  by  a  monk 
called  Matruhina,  who,  when  he  sighted  me,  came  out  and  kissed 
my  hands  and  feet  and  said  : — Verily,  I  have  seen  thcc  since  thou 
enteredst  the  land  of  the  Greeks,  and   thou  hast  filled  me  with 
longing  for  the  land  of  Al-Islam.     Then  he  took  my  hand  and 
carried  me  into  that  hermitage,  and  brought  me  to  a  dark  room ; 
and,  when  I  entered  it  unawares,  he  locked  the  door  on  me  and 
left  me  there  forty  days,  without  meat  or  drink ;    for  it  was  his 
intent  to  kill  me  by  delay.     It  chanced  one  day,  that  a  Knight 
called   Dakianus2   came   to   the  hermitage,  accompanied   by  ten 
squires  and  his  daughter  Tamdsil,  a  girl  whose  beauty  was  incom- 
parable.    When  they  entered  that  hermitage,  the  monk  Matruhina 
told  them  of  me,  and  the  Knight  said  : — Bring  him  out,  for  surely 
there  is  not  on  him  a  bird's  meal  of  meat.     So  they  opened  the 
door  of  the  dark   room   and  found   me  standing   in   the  niche, 
___ i 

1  i.t.t  where  the  Syrians  found  him. 

-  t-t-t  Dcdianus  Arabised ;    a  name  knightly  and  plebeian. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       245 

praying  and  reciting  the  Koran  and  glorifying  Allah  and  hum- 
bling myself  before  the  Almighty.  When  they  saw  me  in  this 
state  Matruhina  exclaimed  :— This  man  is  indeed  a  sorcerer  of  the 
sorcerers ! ;  and  hearing  his  words,  they  all  came  in  on  me, 
Dakianus  and  his  company  withal,  and  they  beat  me  with  a 
grievous  beating,  till  I  desired  death  and  reproached  myself, 
saying,  This  is  his  reward  who  exalteth  himself  and  who  prideth 
himself  on  that  which  Allah  hath  vouchsafed  to  him,  beyond  his 
own  competence !  And  thou,  O  my  soul,  verily  self-esteem  and 
arrogance  have  crept  into  thee.  Dost  thou  not  know  that  pride 
angereth  the  Lord  and  hardeneth  the  heart  and  bringeth  men  to 
the  Fire  ?  Then  they  laid  me  in  fetters  and  returned  me  to  my 
place  which  was  the  dungeon  under  ground.  Every  three  days, 
they  threw  me  down  a  scone  of  barley  bread  and  a  draught 
of  water;  and  every  month  or  two  the  Knight  came  to  the 
hermitage.  Now  his  daughter  Tamasil  had  grown  up,  for  she 
was  nine  years  old  when  I  first  saw  her,  and  fifteen  years  passed 
over  me  in  captivity,  so  that  she  had  reached  her  four-and- 
twenticth  year.  There  is  not  in  our  land  nor  'in  the  land  of  the 
Greeks  a  fairer  than  she,  and  her  father  feared  lest  the  King 
take  her  from  him  ;  for  she  had  vowed  herself  to  the  Messiah  and 
rode  with  Dakianus  in  the  habit  of  a  cavalier,  so  that  albeit  none 
might  compare  with  her  in  loveliness,  no  one  who  saw  her  knew 
her  for  a  woman.  And  her  father  had  laid  up  his  monies  in 
this  hermitage,  every  one  who  had  aught  of  price  or  treasured 
hoard  being*  wont  to  deposit  it  therein  ;  and  I  saw  there  all 
manner  of  gold  and  silver  and  jewels  and  precious  vessels  and 
rarities,  none  may  keep  count  of  them  save  Almighty  Allah.  Now 
yc  arc  worthier  of  these  riches  than  those  Infidels ;  so  lay  hands 
on  that  which  is  in  the  hermitage  and  divide  it  among  the  Mos- 
lems and  especially  on  fighters  in  the  Holy  War.  When  these 
merchants  came  to  Constantinople  and  sold  their  merchandise,  that 
image  which  is  on  the  wall  spoke  to  them,  by  grace  of  a  marvel 
which  Allah  granted  to  me  ;  so  they  made  for  that  hermitage 
and  slew  Matruhina,  after  torturing  him  with  most  grievous 
torments,  and  dragging  him  by  the  beard,  till  he  showed  them 
the  place  where  I  was  ;  when  they  took  me  and  found  no  path 
but  flight  for  dread  of  death.  Now  to-morrow  night  Tamasil  will 
visit  that  hermitage  as  is  her  habit,  and  her  father  and  his  squires 
will  come  after  her,  as  he  feareth  for  her  so,  if  ye  would  witness 
these  things,  take  me  with  you  and  I  will  deliver,  to  you  the 


246  A  If  Laylah  wa  Lay  I  ah. 

monies  and  the  riches  of  the  Knight  Dakianus  which  be  in  that 
mountain ;  for  I  saw  them  bring  out  vessels  of  gold  and  silver 
to  drink  therefrom,  and  I  heard  a  damsel  of  their  company  sing  to 
them  in  Arabic  and  well-away !  that  so  sweet  a  voice  should  not  be 
busied  in  chaunting  the  Koran.     If,  then,  ye  will ;  enter  into  that 
hermitage  and  hide  there  against  the  coming  of  Dakianus  and  his 
daughter ;  and  take  her,  for  she  is  fit  only  for  the  King  of  the  Age, 
Sharrkan,  or  King   Zau   al-Makan."     Thereat  they   all  rejoiced 
with  the  exception  of  the  Wazir  Dandan,  who   put  scant  faith 
in  her  story,  for  her   words   took    no   hold   on   his   reason,  and 
signs   of  doubt  in  her  and  disbelief  showed   in  his  face.1     Yet 
he  was  confounded  at  her  discourse,  but  he  feared  to  speak  with 
her  for  awe  of  the  King.     Then   quoth  the  ancient  dame,   Zat 
al-Dawahi,  "  Verily,  I  fear  lest  the  Knight  come  and,  seeing  these 
troops  encamped  in  the  meadow,  be  afraid  to  enter  the  hermitage." 
So  Zau  al-Makan   ordered  the  army  to  march  upon    Constanti- 
nople and   said,  "  I  have  resolved  to  take  with  me  an    hundred 
horse  and  many  mules  and  make  for  that  mountain,  where  we  will 
load  the  beasts  with  the  monies  which  be  in  the  hermitage."  Then 
he  sent  at  once  for  the  Chief  Chamberlain   whom  they  brought 
into  the  presence;  and  he  summoned  likewise  the  leaders  of  the 
Turks  and  Daylamites  and  said,  "  As  soon  as  it  is  dawn,  do  ye  sef 
forth  for  Constantinople ;  and  thou,  O  Chamberlain,  shalt  take  my 
place  in  council  and    contrivance,  while   thou,  O    Rustam,  shalt 
be  my  brother's  deputy  in  battle.     But  let  none  know  that  we 
are  not  with  you  and  after  three  days  we  will  rejoin  you."     Then 
he  chose  out  an  hundred  of  the  doughtiest   riders,  and   he  and 
Sharrkan  and  the  Minister  Dandan  set  out  for  the  hermitage,  and 
the  hundred  horsemen  led  the  mules  with  chests  for  transporting 

the  treasure. And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and 

ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


Noto  toftm  it  toas  tfje  Nincts-sull)  jSri01)tt 


She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Sharrkan 
and  his  brother,  Zau  al-Makan  and  the  Wazir  Dandan  set  off  with 
an  hundred  horse  for  the  hermitage  described  to  them  by  that 


1  In  such  tales  the  Wazir  is  usually   the  sharp-witted  man,  contrasting  with  the 
"  dummy,"  his  master. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Niiuman  and  his  Sons.       247 

accursed   Zat  al-Dawahi ;  and  they  took  with  them  mules  and 
chests  for  transporting  the  treasure.      Now  as  soon  as  dawned  the 
morn,  the  Chamberlain  signalled  to  the  host  an  order  for  departure, 
and  they  set  out  thinking  that  the  two  Kings  and  the  Wazir  were 
with  them  ;  knowing  not  that  the  three  had  made  for  the  monas- 
tery. Such  was  the  case  with  the  host ;  but  as  regards  the  two  Kings 
and  the  Minister,  they  tarried  in  their  place  till  the  end  of  that 
day.    Now  the  Infidels  who  were  with  Zat  al-Dawahi  took  their 
departure  privily,  after  they  had  gone  in  to  her  and  kissed  her 
hands  and  feet  and  obtained  her  leave  to  march.     So  she  not  only 
gave  them  permission  but  also  taught  them  all  she  minded  of  wile 
and  guile.      And  when  it  was  dark  night,  she  arose  and  went  in  to 
Zau  al-Makan  and  his  companions  and  said  to  them,  "  Come,  let 
us  set  out  for  the  mountain,  and  take  with  you  a  few  men-at-arms." 
They  obeyed  her  and  left  five  horsemen  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain, 
whilst   the  rest  rode  on  before   Zat  al-Dawahi,  who  gained  new 
strength  for  excess  of  joy,  so  that  Zau  al-Makan  said,  "  Glory  be 
to  Him  who  sustaineth  this  holy  man,  whose  like  we  never  saw  !  " 
Now  the  witch  had  written  a  letter  to  the  King  of  Constantinople 
and  despatched  it  on  the  wings  of  a  bird,1  acquainting  him  with 
what  had  passed  and  ending,  "  I  wish  thee  to  send  me  ten  thousand 
horsemen  of  the  bravest  of  the  Greeks  and  let  them  steal  along  the 
foot  of  the  mountains  with  caution,  lest  the  host  of  Al-Islam  get 
sight  of  them  ;   and,  when  they  reach  the  hermitage,  let  them 
ambush  themselves  there,  till  I  come  to  them  with  the  Moslem 
King  and  his  brother,  for  I  shall  inveigle  them  and  will  bring  them 
thither,  together  with  the  Wazir  and  an  hundred  horse  and  no  more, 
that  I  may  presently  deliver  to  them  the  crosses  which  be  in  the 
hermitage.     I  am  resolved  to  slay  the  Monk  Matruhina,  since  my 
scheme  cannot  be  carried  out  but  by  taking  his  life.     If  my  plot 
work  well,  not  one  of  the  Moslems  shall  return  to  his  own  country  ; 
no,  not  a  living  wight  nor  one  who  blows  the  fire  alight;   and 
Matruhina  shall  be  a  sacrifice  for  the  followers  of  the  Nazarene 
faith  and  the  servants  of  the  Cross,  and  praise  be  to  the  Messiah, 
first  and   last"     When   this  letter  reached   Constantinople,  the 

1  Carrier-pigeons  were  extensively  used  at  this  time.  The  Caliph  Al-Nasir  li-Dini 
Mldh  (rcgn.  A.  H.  575  =  1180)  was,  according  to  Ibn  Khaldun,  very  fond  of  them.  The 
moderns  of  Damascus  still  affect  them.  My  successor,  Mr.  Consul  Kirby  Green,  wrote 
an  excellent  report  on  pigeon- fancying  at  Damascus.  The  so-called  Maundeville  or 
Mandeville  in  A.D.  1322  speaks  of  carrier-pigeons  in  Syria  as  a  well-known  mode  of 
intercourse  between  lord  and  lord. 


248  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

keeper  of  the  carrier-pigeons  carried  it  to  King  Afridun,  who  read 
it  and  forthwith  inspected  his  host  and  equipped  ten  thousand 
cavaliers  with  horses  and  dromedaries  and  mules  and  provaunt  and 
bade  them  repair  to  that  hermitage  and,  after  reaching  the  tower, 
to  hide  therein.  Thus  far  concerning  them  ;  but  as  regards  King 
Zau  al-Makan  and  his  brother  Sharrkan  and  the  Wazir  Dandan 
and  the  escort,  when  they  reached  the  hermitage  they  entered 
and  met  the  Monk  Matruhina,  who  came  out  to  see  who  and 
what  they  were ;  whereupon  quoth  that  pious  man  Zat  al-Dawahi, 
"  Slay  this  damned  fellow." l  So  they  smote  him  with  their  swords 
and  made  him  drink  the  cup  of  death.  Then  the  accursed  old 
woman  carried  them  to  the  place  of  offerings  and  ex  votos,  and 
(brought  out  to  them  treasures  and  precious  things  more  than  she 
had  described  to  them  ;  and  after  gathering  the  whole  together,  they 
set  the  booty  in  chests  and  loaded  the  mules  therewith.  As  for 
Tamasil,  she  came  not,  she  or  her  father,  for  fear  of  the  Moslems  ; 
so  Zau  al-Makan  tarried  there,  awaiting  her  all  that  day  and  the 
next  and  a  third,  till  Sharrkan  said  to  him,  "By  Allah,  I  am 
troubled  anent  the  army  of  Al-Islam,  for  I  know  not  what  is 
become  of  them."  His  brother  replied,  "  And  I  also  am  concerned 
for  them  :  we  have  come  by  this  great  treasure  and  I  do  not  believe 
that  Tamasil  or  any  one  else  will  approach  the  hermitage,  after 
that  befel  which  hath  befallen  the  host  of  the  Christians.  It 
behoveth  us,  then,  to  content  ourselves  with  what  Allah  hath 
given  us  and  depart ;  so  haply  He  will  help  us  conquer  Constanti- 
nople." Accordingly  they  came  down  from  the  mountain,  while 
Zat  al-Dawahi  was  impotent  to  oppose  their  march  for  fear  of 
betraying  her  deceit;  and  they  fared  forwards  till  they  reached 
the  head  of  a  defile,  where  the  old  woman  had  laid  an  ambush 
for  them  with  the  ten  thousand  horse.  As  soon  as  these  saw  the 
Moslems  they  encircled  them  from  all  sides,  couching  lance  and 
baring  the  white  sabre  blade ;  and  the  Infidels  shouted  the  watch- 
word of  their  faithless  Faith  and  set  the  shafts  of  their  mischief 
astring.  When  Zau  al-Makan  and  his  brother  Sharrkan  and  the 
Minister  Dandan  looked  upon  this  host,  they  saw  that  it  was  a 
numerous  army  and  said,  "Who  can  have  given  these  troops 


1  Mohammed  who  declared  "There  is  no  monkery  in  Al-Islam,"  and  who  virtually 
abolished  the  priest,  had  an  especial  aversion  to  the  shaveling  (Ruhbdn).  But  the  "  Gens 
jeterna  in  qua  nemo  nascitur"  (Pliny  v.  17)  managed  to  appear  even  in  Al-Islam,  as 
Fakirs,  Dervishes,  Sufis,  etc.  Of  this  more  hereafter. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       249 

r. 

information  of  us  ? "  Replied  Sharrkan,  "  O  my  brother,  this  be  no 
time  for  talk  ;  this  is  the  time  for  smiting  with  swords  and  shoot- 
ing with  shafts  ;  so  gird  up  your  courage  and  hearten  your  hearts, 
for  this  strait  is  like  a  street  with  two  gates ;  though,  by  the  virtue 
of  the  Lord  of  Arabs  and  Ajams,  were  not  the  place  so  narrow  I 
would  bring  them  to  naught,  even  though  they  were  an  hundred 
thousand  men  1 "  Said  Zau  al-Makan,  "  Had  we  wotted  this  we 
would  have  brought  with  us  five  thousand  horse ; "  and  the  Wazir 
Dandan  continued,  "If  we  had  ten  thousand  horse  they  had 
availed  us  naught  in  these  narrows;  but  Allah  will  succour  us 
against  them.  I  know  this  defile  and  its  straitness,  and  I  know 
there  be  many  places  of  refuge  in  it ;  for  I  have  been  here  on 
razzia  with  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman,  what  while  we  besieged 
Constantinople.  We  abode  in  this  place,  and  here  is  water  colder 
than  snow.  So  come,  let  us  push  out  of  this  defile  ere  the  Infidel 
host  increase  on  us  and  get  the  start  of  us  to  the  mountain-top, 
whence  they  will  hurl  down  rocks  upon  us,  and  we  powerless  to 
come  at  them."  So  they  began  hurrying  on  to  get  out  of  those 
narrows ;  but  the  pious  man,  Zat  al-Dawahi,  looked  at  them  and 
said,  "What  is  it  ye  fear,  ye  who  have  vowed  yourselves  to  the 
Lord,  and  to  working  His  will  ?  By  Allah,  I  abode  imprisoned 
underground  for  fifteen  years,  yet  never  gainsaid  the  Almighty  in 
aught  he  did  with  me  I  Fight  ye  in  Allah's  way ;  so  whoever  of 
you  is  slain  Paradise  shall  be  his  abode,  and  whoso  slayeth,  his 
striving  shall  be  to  his  honour."  When  they  heard  from  the 
ascetic  these  words,  their  care  and  anxiety  ceased  from  them  and 
they  stood  firm  till  the  Infidels  charged  down  from  all  sides, 
whilst  the  swords  played  upon  their  necks  and  the  cup  of  death 
went  round  amongst  them.  The  Moslems  fought  for  the  ser- 
vice of  Allah  a  right  good  fight,  and  wrought  upon  His  foes 
with  sway  of  sword  and  lunge  of  lance ;  whilst  Zau  al-Makan 
smote  upon  the  men  and  garred  the  knights  bite  the  dust 
and  their  heads  from  their  bodies  take  flight,  five  by  five  and  ten 
by  ten,  till  he  had  done  to  death  a  number  of  them  past  numbering 
and  an  accompt  beyond  counting.  Now  while  so  doing,  he  looked 
at  the  accursed  old  woman  who  was  waving  her  sword  and  hearten- 
ing them,  and  all  who  feared  fled  to  her  for  shelter ;  but  she  was 
also  signing  the  Infidels  to  slay  Sharrkan.  So  troop  after  troop 
rushed  on  him  with  design  to  do  him  die;  but  each  troop  that 
charged,  he  charged  and  drove  back ;  and  when  another  troop 
attacked  him  he  repelled  the  assault  with  the  sword  in  their  backs  ; 


250  A  If  Laylak  wa  Laylah. 

for  he  thought  it  was  the  devotee's  blessing  that  gave  him  the  vic- 
tory, and  he  said  in  himself,  "  Verily  on  this'holy  man  Allah  looketh 
with  eyes  of  His  favour  and  strengtheneth  my  prowess  against  the 
Infidels  with  the  purity  of  his  pious  intent :  for  I  see  that  they  fear 
me  and  cannot  prevail  against  me,  but  every  one  who  assaileth  me 
turneth  tail  and  taketh  flight."  So  they  battled  the  rest  of  the  day 
and,  when  night  fell,  the  Moslems  took  refuge  in  a  cave  of  that  defile 
being  weary  with  stress  of  war  and  cast  of  stone  :  and  that  day  were 
slain  of  them  five-and-forty.  And  when  they  were  gathered  together, 
they  sought  the  devotee,  but  could  find  no  trace  of  him  ;  and  this 
was  grievous  to  them  and  they  said,  "Belike,  he  hath  died  a 
martyr/'  Quoth  Sharrkan,  "  I  saw  him  heartening  the  horsemen 
with  divine  instances  and  using  as  talisman  verses  of  Holy  Writ." 
Now  while  they  were  talking,  behold,  the  accursed  old  woman,  Zat 
al-Dawahi,  stood  before  them,  hending  in  hand  the  head  of  the  Chief 
Captain  of  the  ten  thousand  horse,  a  noble  knight,  a  champion  fierce 
in  fight  and  a  Satan  for  blight.  One  of  the  Turks  had  slain  him 
with  an  arrow,  and  Allah  hurried  his  soul  to  the  fire ;  and  when  the 
Infidels  saw  what  that  Moslem  had  done  with  their  leader,  they  all 
fell  on  him  and  wrought  his  bane  and  hewed  him  in  pieces  with 
their  swords,  and  Allah  hurried  his  soul  to  Heaven.  Then  the 
accursed  old  woman  cut  off  that  Knight's  head  and  brought  it  and 
threw  it  at  the  feet  of  Sharrkan  and  Zau  al-Makan  and  the  Wazir 
Dandan.  Now  when  Sharrkan  saw  her,  he  sprang  up  hastily  before 
her  and  exclaimed,  "  Praised  be  Allah  for  thy  safety  and  for  our 
sighting  thee,  O  holy  man  and  devout  champion  of  the  Religion  ! " 
Replied  she,  "  O  my  son,  I  have  sought  martyrdom  this  day,  and 
have  thrown  my  life  away  amid  the  Infidel  array,  but  they  feared 
me  with  dismay.  When  ye  dispersed,  I  waxed  jealous  for  your 
honour ;  so  I  rushed  on  the  Chief  Knight  their  leader,  albeit  he  was 
a  match  for  a  thousand  horse,  and  I  smote  him  till  I  severed  head 
from  trunk.  Not  one  of  the  Infidels  could  near  me;  so  I  brought 

his  head  to  you," And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day 

and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


2Coto  to-ijen  it  toa»  tf)e 

She  said,  it  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  the 
damned  witch,  Zat  al-Dawahi,  took  the  head  of  the  Knight,  the 
leader  of  the  twenty  thousand  Infidels,  she  brought  it  and  threw 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       251 

it  down  before  Zau  al-Makan  and  his  brother  Sharrkan  and  the 
Wazir  Dandan,   saying,  "When  I  saw  your  condition,  I  waxed 
jealous  for  your  honour;  so   I  rushed  on  the  Chief  Knight  and 
smote  him  with  the  sword  till  I  severed  head  from  trunk.    And 
none  could  near   me,  so    I   brought   his   head  to  you,  that  you 
may   be  strengthened    in    Holy  War   and   work   out  with  your 
swords  the  will  of  the  Lord  of  the  Faithful.     And  now  I  pur- 
pose leaving  you  to  strive  against  the  Infidels,  whilst  I  go  to  your 
army,  though  they  be  at  the  gates  of  Constantinople,  and  return 
with  twenty  thousand  horse  to  destroy  these  Unfaithfuls."     Quoth 
Sharrkan,  "  How  wilt  thou  pass  to  them,  O  thou  holy  man,  seeing 
that  the  valley  is  blocked  up  on  all  sides  by  the  Miscreants  ?"  Quoth 
the  accursed  hag,  "  Allah  will  veil  me  from  their  eyes  and  they 
shall  not  sight  me  ; l  nor,  if  any  saw  me,  would  he  dare  to  attack  me 
at  that  time,  for  I  shall  be  as  one  non-existing,  absorbed  in  Allah, 
and  He  will  fend  off  from  me  His  foes."     "  Thou  sayest  sooth,  O 
holy  man,"  rejoined  Sharrkan,  "  for  indeed  I  have  been  witness  of 
that ;  so,  if  thou  can  pass  out  at  the  first  of  the  night,  'twill  be  best 
for  us."     Replied  she,  "  I  will  set  out  at  this  very  hour  and,  if  thou 
desire,  thou  shalt  go  with  me  and  none  shall  see  thee.    Furthermore 
if  thy  brother  also  have  a  mind  to  go  with  us  we  will  take  him,  but 
none  else  ;  for  the  shadow  of  a  saint  can  cover  only  twain."     Sharr- 
kan said,  "  As  for  me  I  will  not  leave  my  comrades ;  but,  if  my 
brother  will,  there  is  no  harm  in  his  going  with  thee  and  setting  us 
free  of  this  strait ;  for  he  is  the  stronghold  of  the  Moslems  and 
the  sword   of  the   Lord   of  the  three  Worlds ;  and  if  it  be  his 
pleasure,  let  him  take  with  him  the  Wazir  Dandan,  or  whom  else 
he  may  elect  and  send  us  ten  thousand  horse  to  succour  us  against 
these  caitiffs."     So  after  debate  they  agreed  on  this  and  the  old 
woman  said,  "  Give  me  leisure  to  go  before  you  and  consider  the 
condition  of  the  Infidels,  if  they  be  asleep  or  awake."     Quoth  they, 
"  We  will  not  go  forth  save  with  thee  and  trust  our  affair  to  Allah." 
"  If  I  do  your  bidding,"  replied  she,  "  blame  me  not  but  blame 
yourselves  ;   for  it  is  my  rede  that  you  await  me  till  I  bring  you 
tidings  of  the  case."    Then  said  Sharrkan,  "  Go  to  them  and  delay 
not  from  us,  for  we  shall  be  awaiting  thee."     Thereupon  she  fared 
forth  and  Sharrkan  turned  to  his  brother  addressing  him  and  said, 
"  Were  not  this  holy  man  a  miracle- worker,  he  had  never  slain 
yonder  furious  knight.     This  is  proof  sufficient  of  the  ascetic's 

1  i.e.  her  holiness  would  act  like  a  fascinating  talisman. 


252  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

power ;  and  of  a  truth  the  pride  of  the  Infidels  is  laid  low  by  the 
slaying  of  this  cavalier,  for  he  was  violent,  evil  devil  and  a 
stubborn."  Now  whilst  they  were  thus  devising  of  the  mighty 
works  of  the  devotee,  behold,  the  accursed  Zat  al-Dawahi  came 
upon  them  and  promised  them  victory  over  the  Unbelievers  ; 
wherefor  they  thanked  her  (not  knowing  that  all  this  was  wile  and 
guile)  and  the  damned  hag  asked,  "  Where  be  the  King  of  the  Age, 
Zau  al-Makan,  and  the  Minister  Dandan  ? "  Answered  he,  "  Here 
am  I !"  "Take  with  thee  thy  Wazir,"  said  she,  "and  follow  after 
me,  that  we  may  fare  forth  to  Constantinople."  Now  she  had 
acquainted  the  Infidels  with  the  cheat  she  had  put  upon  the 
Moslems,  and  they  rejoiced  with  exceeding  great  joy,  and  said, 
*'  Our  hearts  will  not  be  contented  till  we  shall  have  slain  their 
King  in  return  for  the  Knight's  death ;  because  we  had  no  stouter 
rider  than  he;"  and  they  added  (bespeaking  the  ill-omened  hag  as 
she  told  them  her  plan  of  faring  to  the  land  of  the  Moslems),  "When 
thou  bringest  him  to  us,  we  will  bear  him  to  King  Afridun."  Then 
she  went  out  and  went  out  with  her  Zau  al-Makan  and  the  Minister 
Dandan,  and  she  walked  on  before  the  two  saying,  "  Fare  forth 
with  the  blessing  of  Almighty  Allah ! "  So  they  did  her  bidding, 
for  the  shaft  of  Fate  and  Fortune  of  man's  lot  had  shot  them,  and 
she  ceased  not  leading  them  both  through  the  midst  of  the  Grecian 
camp,  till  they  came  to  the  defile,  the  narrow  pass  aforesaid,  whilst 
the  Infidel  enemy  watched  them,  but  did  them  no  hindrance;  for 
the  infernal  old  woman  had  enjoined  this.  Now  when  Zau  al- 
Makan  and  the  Wazir  Dandan  saw  that  the  Infidel  host  offered 
them  no  let  and  stay  and  yet  had  them  in  sight,  the  Wazir  ex- 
claimed, "  By  Allah,  this  is  one  of  the  holy  man's  saintly  miracles  ! 
and  doubtless  he  be  of  the  elect."  Rejoined  Zau  al-Makan,  "  By 
Allah,  I  think  the  Infidels  be  naught  but  blind,  for  we  see  them 
and  they  see  us  not."  And  while  they  were  thus  praising  the  holy 
man  and  recounting  his  mighty  works  and  his  piety  and  his 
prayers,  behold,  the  Infidels  charged  down  on  them  from  all  sides 
and  surrounded  them  and  seized  them,  saying,  "  Is  there  anyone 
else  with  you  twain,  that  we  may  seize  upon  him  too  ? "  And  the 
Wazir  Dandan  replied,  "  See  you  not  yon  other  man  that  is  before 
us  ?  "  Replied  the  Unbelievers,  "  By  the  truth  of  the  Messiah  and 
the  Monks,  and  the  Primate  and  the  Metropolitan,  we  see  none 
save  you  two ! "  Then  Zau  al-Makan  said,  "  By  Allah,  this  is  a 
chastisement  decreed  to  us  by  Almighty  Allah !" — And  Shahrazad 
perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons,       253 

/lotu  luljcn  it  Inns  tljc  iltnctn--n'fl!)tlj  Jlfofit, 

She  said,  it  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  the 
Unfaithful  had  seized  upon  King  Zau  al-Makan  and  the  Wazir 
Dandan,  they  said  to  the  two,  "  Is  there  anyone  else  with  you 
twain,  that  we  may  seize  upon  him  also  ?"  And  the  Wazir  Dandan 
replied,  "  See  you  not  yon  other  man  who  be  with  us  ?"  They  re- 
joined, "  By  the  truth  of  the  Messiah  and  the  Monks  and  the 
Primate  and  the  Metropolitan,  we  see  none  save  you  two !"  Then 
the  Infidels  laid  shackles  on  their  feet  and  set  men  to  guard  them 
during  the  night,  whilst  Zat  al-Dawahi  fared  on  and  disappeared 
from  their  sight.  So  they  fell  to  lamenting  and  saying  to  each 
other,  "  Verily,  the  opposing  of  pious  men  leadeth  to  greater  dis- 
tress than  this,  and  we  are  punished  by  the  strait  which  hath 
befallen  us."  So  far  concerning  Zau  al-Makan  and  the  Wazir 
Dandan  ;  but  as  regards  King  Sharrkan,  he  passed  that  night  in 
the  cavern  with  his  comrades,  and  when  dawned  the  day  and  he 
had  prayed  the  morn-prayer,  he  and  his  men  made  ready  to  do 
battle  with  the  Infidel  and  he  heartened  them  and  promised  them 
all  good.  Then  they  sallied  out  till  they  were  hard  upon  the 
Unbelievers  and,  when  these  saw  them  from  afar,  they  cried  out 
to  them,  saying,  "  O  Moslems,  we  have  taken  captives  your  Sultan 
and  your  Wazir  who  hath  the  ordering  of  your  affairs  ;  and  except 
ye  leave  off  fighting  us,  we  will  slay  you  to  the  last  man  ;  but  an 
you  yield  yourselves  we  will  take  you  to  our  King,  who  will  make 
peace  with  you  on  condition  that  you  quit  our  country  and  return 
home  and  harm  us  in  naught,  and  we  will  do  you  no  harm  in 
aught.  If  ye  accept,  it  will  be  well  for  you  ;  but  if  ye  refuse  there 
remaineth  nothing  for  you  but  death.  So  we  have  told  you  sooth, 
and  this  is  our  last  word  to  you."  Now  when  Sharrkan  heard  this 
and  was  certified  of  the  captivity  of  his  brother  and  the  Wazir 
Dandan,  he  was  weighed  down  with  woe  and  wept  ;  his  force 
failed  him  and,  making  sure  of  death,  he  said  to  himself,  "  Would 
I  knew  the  cause  of  their  capture  !  Did  they  fail  of  respect  to  the 
holy  man  or  disobey  him,  or  what  was  the  matter  ? "  Then  they 
sprang  up  to  battle  with  the  Unbelievers  and  slew  great  numbers 
of  them.  The  brave  was  known  that  day  from  craven  men,  and 
sword  and  spear  were  dyed  with  bloody  stain ;  for  the  Infidels 
flocked  up  on  them,  as  flies  flock  to  drink,  from  hill  and  from 
plain  ;  but  Sharrkan  and  his  men  ceased  not  to  wage  the  fight  of 


254  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

those  who  fear  not  to  die,  nor  let  death  hinder  them  from  the 
pursuit  of  victory,  till  the  valley  ran  gore  and  earth  was  full  of 
the  slain  she  bore.  And  when  night  fell  the  armies  separated, 
each  making  for  his  own  place  ;  and  the  Moslems  returned  to  the 
cavern  where  gain  and  loss  were  manifest  to  them  :  few  remained 
of  them  and  there  was  no  dependence  for  them  but  on  Allah  and 
the  scymitar.  Now  there  had  been  slain  of  them  that  day  five- 
and-thirty  men  of  the  chiefest  Emirs,  and  they  had  killed  thousands 
of  the  Infidels,  footmen  and  fighters  on  horse.  When  Sharrkan 
saw  this,  the  case  was  grievous  to  him  and  he  asked  his  comrades, 
"  What  shall  we  do  ?  "  ;  whereto  all  answered,  "  That  which  Al- 
mighty Allah  willeth  shall  befal  us."  On  the  morning  of  the 
second  day,  Sharrkan  said  to  the  remnant  of  his  troop,  "  If  ye 
go  forth  to  fight,  not  one  of  you  will  remain  alive  and  we  have 
but  little  left  of  food  and  water ;  so  I  deem  ye  would  do  better 
to  bare  your  brands  and  go  forth  and  stand  at  the  mouth  of  this 
cavern,  to  hinder  any  from  entering.  Haply  the  holy  man  may 
have  reached  the  Moslem  host,  and  may  return  with  ten  thou- 
sand horse  to  succour  us  in  fight  with  the  Infidels,  for  belike  the 
Unfaithful  may  have  failed  to  see  him  and  those  with  him."  They 
said,  "  This  were  the  better  course  to  take,  and  of  its  expediency 
no  doubt  we  make."  So  the  troop  went  out  and  held  the  cavern 
mouth  standing  by  its  walls ;  and  every  one  of  the  Infidels  who 
sought  to  enter  in,  they  slew.  Thus  did  they  fend  off  the  foe 
from  the  gape  of  the  cave  and  they  patiently  supported  all  such 
assaults,  till  day  was  done  and  night  came  on  dusky  and  dun  ; 

And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying 

her  permitted  say. 


fojjen  (t  tons  tfje  jlfaetB-nfatf)  J2tg!)t, 


She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  army 
of  the  Moslems  held  the  cavern-mouth  and  stood  by  its  walls  and 
they  fended  off  the  foe,  and  every  one  of  the  Infidels  attempted  to 
charge  them,  him  they  slew  ;  and  they  patiently  supported  all  such 
assaults  till  day  was  done  and  night  came  on  dusky  and  dun  ;  by 
which  time  King  Sharrkan  had  only  five-and-twenty  men  and  no 
more  left.  Then  quoth  the  Infidels  to  one  another,  "  When  shall 
these  battle  days  have  an  end  ?  We  are  weary  of  warring  the 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.       255 

Moslems."  And  quoth  one  of  them,  "  Up  and  at  them,  for  there 
remain  of  them  but  five-and-twenty  men !  If  we  cannot  prevail 
on  them  to  fight,  let  us  light  a  fire  upon  them  ;l  and  if  they  submit 
themselves  and  yield  to  us,  we  will  take  them  prisoners ;  but  if 
they  refuse  we  will  leave  them  for  fuel  to  the  fire,  so  shall  they 
become  to  men  of  foreseeing  mind  a  warning  dire.  May  the 
Messiah  on  their  fathers  have  no  grace,  and  may  the  sojourn  of 
the  Nazarenes  be  for  them  no  abiding-place ! "  So  they  carried 
fuel  to  the  jaws  of  the  cavern  and  set  fire  to  it.  Thereupon 
Sharrkan  and  his  companions  made  sure  of  perdition  and  yielded 
themselves  prisoners.  And  while  they  were  in  this  condition, 
lo  !  the  knight  their  captain  said  to  those  who  counselled  their 
slaughter,  "  It  is  not  for  any  save  for  King  Afridun  to  kill  them, 
that  he  may  gratify  his  wrath ;  therefore  it  behoveth  us  to  keep 
them  in  durance  by  us  till  the  morrow,  when  we  will  journey  with 
them  to  Constantinople  and  deliver  them  to  our  King,  who  shall 
deal  with  them  as  he  please."  Said  they,  "This  is  the  right 
course ; "  and  he  commanded  to  pinion  them  and  set  guards  over 
them.  Then,  as  soon  as  it  was  black  night,  the  Infidels  busied 
themselves  with  feasting  and  making  festival ;  and  they  called  for 
wine  and  drank  it  till  all  fell  upon  their  backs.  Now  Sharrkan 
and  his  brother,  Zau  al-Makan,  were  in  confinement  and  so  also 
were  his  companion  knights ;  whereupon  the  elder  turned  to  the 
younger  brother  and  said  to  him,  "  O  my  brother,  how  win  free  ?  " 
**  By  Allah,"  replied  Zau  al-Makan,  "  I  know  not ;  for  here  we  be 
like  birds  in  cage."  Then  Sharrkan  waxed  wroth  and  sighed  for 
excess  of  rage  and  stretched  himself,  till  his  pinion-bonds  brast 
asunder  ;  whereupon  being  free  he  arose  and  went  up  to  the  Captain 
of  the  guard,  and  taking  from  his  pocket  the  keys  of  the  fetters, 
freed  Zau  al-Makan  and  the  Wazir  Dandan  and  the  rest  of  his 
men.  Then  he  turned  to  the  two  and  said,  "  I  desire  to  slay  three 
of  these  Infidels  and  take  and  don  their  dress,  we  three;  so  that 
we  shall  be  guised  as  Greeks  and  we  will  pass  through  them,  with- 
out their  knowing  us,  and  fare  forth  to  our  own  force."  Replied 
Zau  al-Makan,  "  This  is  no  safe  counsel  for  if  we  kill  them,  I  fear 
some  of  their  comrades  may  hear  their  shrieks  and  the  foe  be 


1  The  smoking  out  "  practice  is  common  amongst  the  Arabs  :  hence  Marshal 
Pelissier's  so-called  *•  barbarity  "  The  Public  is  apt  to  forget  that  on  a  campaign 
the  general's  first  duty  is  to  save  his  own  men  by  any  practice  which  the  laws  of  fair 
warfare  do  not  absolutely  forbid. 


256  Alf  Laylak  wa  Laylah, 

aroused  upon  us  and  kill  us.  'Twere  the  surer  way  to  pass  out  of 
the  defile."  So  they  agreed  upon  this  and  set  out ;  and,  when  they 
had  left  the  head  of  the  strait  a  little  distance  behind,  they  saw 
horses  picketed  and  the  riders  sleeping  :  and  Sharrkan  said  to  his 
brother,  "  Better  we  take  each  one  of  us  a  steed."  There  were 
five-and-twenty  horsemen,  so  they  took  five-and-twenty  horses, 
whilst  Allah  sent  sleep  upon  the  Infidels  for  a  purpose  He  knew ; 
and  the  Faithful  mounted  and  fared  on  till  they  were  out  of  reach. 
Meanwhile  Sharrkan  set  to  gathering  from  the  Infidels  as  many 
weapons,  swords,  and  spears,  as  were  wanted.  And  while  they 
took  saddle  and  struck  forwards  none  of  the  Infidels  supposed  that 
anyone  could  release  Zau  al-Makan  and  his  brother  and  their  men ; 
or  that  their  prisoners  had  power  to  escape.  Now  when  all  the 
captives  were  safe  from  the  Unfaithful,  Sharrkan  came  up  with  his 
comrades,  and  found  them  awaiting  his  arrival,  on  coals  of  flame, 
expecting  him  in  anxious  gramc,  so  he  turned  to  them  and  said, 
"  Feel  no  fear  since  Allah  protecteth  us.  I  have  that  to  propose 
which  haply  shall  effect  our  purpose."  "  What  is  it  ? "  asked  they, 
and  he  answered,  "  I  desire  that  yc  all  climb  to  the  mountain  top 
and  cry  out  with  one  voice,  Allaho  Akbar !  and  ye  add,  The  army 
of  Al-Islam  is  upon  you  !  Allaho  Akbar !  This  wise  their  company 
will  surely  be  dissolved  nor  will  they  find  out  the  trick  for  they  are 
drunk,  but  they  will  think  that  the  Moslem  troops  have  encom- 
passed them  about  on  all  sides  and  have  mingled  with  them ;  so 
they  will  fall  on  one  another  brand  in  hand  during  the  confusion 
of  drunkenness  and  sleep,  and  we  will  cleave  them  asunder  with 
their  own  swords  and  the  scymitar  will  go  round  amongst  them  till 
dawn."  Replied  Zau  al-Makan,,"  This  plan  is  not  good  ;  we  should 
do  better  to  make  our  way  to  our  army  and  speak  not  a  word  ;  for 
if  we  cry  out  Allaho  Akbar,  they  will  wake  and  fall  on  us  and  not 
one  of  us  will  escape."  Rejoined  Sharrkan,  "  By  Allah,  though 
they  should  awake  'tis  no  matter,  and  I  long  that  ye  fall  in  with  my 
plan,  for  naught  save  good  can  come  of  it !  "  So  they  agreed  thereon 
and  clomb  the  mountain  and  shouted,  "  Allaho  Akbar ! "  And 
hills  and  trees  and  rocks  re-worded  their  Allaho  Akbar  for  fear  of 
the  Almighty.  But  when  the  Kafirs  heard  this  slogan  they  cried 

out  to  one  another And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day 

and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Ntfuman  and  his  Sons.       257 


foljen  it  foas  t&e  full  jEJuntorclHl) 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me  O  auspicious  King,  that  Sharrkan 
spake  thus,  "  I  long  that  ye  fall  in  with  this  my  plan,  for  naught 
save  good  can  come  of  it."  So  they  agreed  thereon  and  clomb  the 
mountain  head  and  shouted,  "  Allaho  Akbar  !  "  ;  and  hills  and  trees 
and  rocks  re-worded  their  Allaho  Akbar  for  fear  of  the  Almighty. 
The  Infidels  heard  it  and  cried  out  one  to  other  and  donned  their 
armour  and  said,  "  The  foe  is  upon  us,  by  the  truth  of  the  Messiah  1" 
Then  they  fell  on  one  another  and  slew  of  their  own  men  more 
than  any  knoweth  save  Almighty  Allah.  As  soon  as  it  was  dawn, 
they  sought  for  the  captives,  but  found  no  trace  of  them,  and  their 
captains  said,  "  They  who  did  this  were  the  prisoners  in  our  posses- 
sion ;  up,  then,  and  after  them  in  all  haste  till  ye  overtake  them, 
when  we  will  make  them  quaff  the  cup  of  requital  ;  and  let  not 
fright  nor  the  panic  of  sudden  awaking  possess  you."  So  they 
took  horse  and  rode  after  the  fugitives  and  it  wanted  but  an  eye- 
twinkling  before  they  overtook  them  and  surrounded  them.  Now 
when  Zau  al-Makan  saw  this,  he  was  seized  with  increase  of  terror 
and  said  to  his  brother,  "  What  I  feared  would  come,  is  come  upon 
us,  and  now  it  remaineth  only  for  us  to  fight  for  the  Faith."  But 
Sharrkan  preferred  to  hold  his  peace.  Then  Zau  al-Makan 
and  his  companions  rushed  down  from  the  hill-crest,  shouting, 
"  Allaho  Akbar  !  "  and  his  men  repeated  the  war  cry  and  addressed 
themselves  to  fight  and  to  sell  their  lives  in  the  service  of  the  Lord 
of  Faithful  Men  ;  and  while  they  were  in  this  case,  behold,  they 
heard  many  voices  voicing,  "  There  is  no  god  but  the  God  !  God  is 
most  great  !  Salutation  and  salvation  upon  the  Apostle,  the  Bringer 
of  glad  Tidings,  the  Bearer  of  bad  Tidings  !  "  l  So  they  turned 
towards  the  direction  of  the  sound  and  saw  a  company  of  Moslems 
who  believed  in  one  God,  pushing  towards  them,  whereat  their 
hearts  were  heartened  and  Sharrkan  charged  upon  the  Infidels 
crying  out,  "  There  is  no  god  but  the  God  !  God  is  most  great  !  " 
he  and  those  with  him,  so  that  earth  quaked  as  with  an  earthquake 
and  the  Unbeliever  host  brake  asunder  and  fled  into  the  mountains 
and  the  Moslems  followed  them  with  lunge  and  blow  ;  and  Zau 
al-Makan  and  his  comrades  of  the  Moslems  ceased  not  to  smite 
the  hosts  of  the  Infidel  foe,  and  parted  heads  from  bodies  till  day 

1  i.e.,  Mohammed,  who  promised  Heaven  and  threatened  Hell. 
VOI.   II.  R 


25  8  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

darkened  and  night  coming  on  starkened  sight.  Thereupon  the 
Moslems  drew  together  and  passed  the  night  in  congratulations ; 
and,  when  morning  dawned  and  daybreak  shone  with  its  shine  and 
sheen,  they  saw  Bahram,  the  captain  of  the  Daylamites,  and 
Rustam,  the  captain  of  the  Turks,  advancing  to  join  them,  with 
twenty  thousand  cavaliers  like  lions  grim.  As  soon  as  they  saw 
Zau  al-Makan,  the  riders  dismounted  and  saluted  him,  and  kissed 
ground  between  his  hands  when  he  said  to  them,"  Rejoice  ye  in 
the  glad  tidings  of  the  victory  of  the  Moslem  and  the  discomfiture 
of  the  tribe  of  Unbelievers  ! "  Then  they  gave  one  another  joy 
of  their  deliverance  and  of  the  greatness  of  their  reward  after 
Resurrection  Day.  Now  the  cause  of  the  coming  of  the  succours 
to  that  place  was  this.  When  the  Emir  Bahram  and  the  Emir 
Rustam  and  the  Chief  Chamberlain,  with  the  Moslem  host  and 
flags  flaunting  high  ahead,  came  in  sight  of  Constantinople  they 
saw  that  the  Nazarenes  had  mounted  the  walls  and  manned  the 
towers  and  the  forts,  and  had  set  all  their  defenders  in  order 
of  defence,  as  soon  as  they  learned  of  the  approach  of  the  host 
of  Al-Islam  and  the  banners  Mohammedan,  and  they  heard  the 
clash  of  arms  and  the  noise  of  war- voices  and  tramp  of  horse-hoofs; 
and  from  their  look-outs  they  beheld  the  Moslems,  with  their 
standards  and  ensigns  of  the  Faith  of  Unity  under  the  dust-clouds 
and  lo !  they  were  like  a  flight  of  locusts  or  rain  clouds  raining 
rain ;  and  the  voices  of  the  Moslems  chanting  the  Koran  and 
glorifying  the  Compassionate  One,  struck  their  ears.  Now  the 
Infidels  knew  of  the  approach  of  this  host  through  Zat  al-Dawahi 
with  her  craft  and  whoredom,1  calumny  and  contrivance.  And  the 
armies  of  Al-Islam  drew  near,  as  it  were  the  swollen  sea,  for 
the  multitude  of  footmen  and  horsemen  and  women  and  children. 
Then  quoth  the  General  of  the  Turks  to  the  General  of  the 
Daylamites,  "  O  Emir,  of  a  truth,  we  are  in  jeopardy  from  the 
multitude  of  the  foe  who  is  on  the  walls.  Look  at  yonder  bulwarks 
and  at  this  world  of  folk  like  the  seas  that  clash  with  dashing 
billows.  Indeed  yon  Infidel  outnumbereth  us  an  hundredfold  and 
we  cannot  be  safe  from  spies  who  may  inform  them  that  we,  are 
without  a  Sultan.  In  very  sooth,  we  run  danger  from  these 
enemies,  whose  numbers  may  not  be  told  and  whose  resources  none 
can  withhold,  especially  in  the  absence  of  King  Zau  al-Makan  and 

1  Arab.  '•  Ahr"  or"  ihr,"  fornication  or  adultery,  ».*.,  irreligion,  infidelity  as  amongst 
the  Hebrews  "  (Isaiah  xxiii.  17). 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.      259 

his  brother  Sharrkan  and  the  illustrious  Wazir  Dandan.  If  they 
know  of  this,  they  will  be  emboldened  to  attack  us  in  their  absence 
and  with  the  sword  they  will  annihilate  us  to  the  last  man  ;  not  one 
of  us  safety  shall  see.  So  it  is  my  counsel  that  thou  take  ten 
thousand  riders  of  the  allies  and  the  Turks,  and  march  them  to  the 
hermitage  of  Matruhina  and  the  meadow  of  Malukhind  in  quest 
of  our  brothers  and  comrades.  If  thou  act  by  my  advice,  it  may 
be  we  shall  approve  ourselves  the  cause  of  their  deliverance,  in 
case  they  be  hard  pressed  by  the  Infidels  ;  and  if  thou  act  not, 
blame  will  not  attach  to  me.  But,  an  ye  go,  it  behoveth  that  ye 
return  quickly,  for  ill-suspicion  is  part  of  prudence."  The  Emir 
aforesaid  fell  in  with  his  counsel  ;  so  they  chose  twenty 
thousand  horse  and  they  set  out  covering  the  roads  and 
making  for  the  monastery  above  mentioned.  So  much  for  the 
cause  of  their  coming;  but  as  regards  the  ancient  dame,  Zat 
al-Dawahi,  as  soon  as  she  had  delivered  Sultan  Zau  al-Makan  and 
his  brother  Sharrkan  and  the  Wazir  Dandan  into  the  hands  of  the 
Infidels,  the  foul  whore  mounted  a  swift  steed,  saying  to  the 
Faithless,  "  I  design  to  rejoin  the  Moslem  army  which  is  at  Con- 
stantinople and  contrive  for  their  destruction;  for  I  will  inform 
them  that  their  chiefs  are  dead,  and  when  they  hear  that  from  me, 
their  joining  will  be  disjointed  and  the  cord  of  their  confederation 
cut  and  their  host  scattered.  Then  will  I  go  to  King  Afridun, 
Lord  of  Constantinople,  and  to  my  son  Hardub,  King  of  Roum, 
and  relate  to  them  their  tidings  and  they  will  sally  forth  on  the 
Moslems  with  their  troops  and  will  destroy  them  and  will  not 
leave  one  of  them  alive."  So  she  mounted  and  struck  across 
country  on  her  good  steed  all  the  livelong  night ;  and,  when  day 
dawned,  appeared  the  armies  of  Bahram  and  Rustam  advancing 
towards  her.  So  she  turned  into  a  wayside  brake  and  hid  her 
horse  among  the  trees  and  she  walked  a  while  saying  to  herself, 
"  Haply  the  Moslem  hosts  be  returning,  routed,  from  the  assault  of 
Constantinople."  However,  as  she  drew  near  them  she  looked 
narrowly  and  made  sure  that  their  standards  were  not  reversed,1 
and  she  knew  that  they  were  coming  not  as  conquered  men,  but 
fearing  for  their  King  and  comrades.  When  she  was  assured  of 
this,  she  hastened  towards  them,  running  at  speed,  like  a  devil  of 
ill  rede,  till  reaching  them  she  cried  out,  "  Haste  ye  !  haste  ye  !  O 
soldiers  of  the  Compassionate  One,  hasten  to  the  Holy  War  against 

1  A  sign  of  defeat. 


260  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

the  hosts  of  Satan  !  "  When  Bahram  saw  her  he  dismounted  and 
kissed  the  ground  before  her  and  asked  her,  "  O  friend  of  Allah, 
what  is  behind  thee  ? "  Answered  she,  "  Question  not  of  sad  case 
and  sore  condition  ;  for  when  our  comrades  had  taken  the  treasure 
from  the  hermitage  of  Matruhina,  and  designed  to  win  their  way 
Constantinople -wards,  thereupon  came  out  on  them  a  driving  host 
and  a  dreadful  of  the  Infidels."  And  the  damned  witch  repeated 
to  them  the  story  to  fill  them  with  trouble  and  terror,  adding, 
"  The  most  of  them  are  dead,  and  there  are  but  five-and-twenty 
men  left."  Said  Bahram,  "  O  holy  man !  when  didst  thou  leave 
them?"  "But  this  night,"1  replied  she.  He  cried, " Glory  be  to 
Allah !  to  Him  who  hath  rolled  up  the  far  distance  for  thee  like  a 
rug,  so  that  thou  hast  sped  thus  walking  upon  thy  feet  and  propt 
upon  a  mid-rib  of  palm-tree!  But  thou  art  one  of  the  saints 
which  fly  like  birds  when  inspired  and  possessed  by  His  direc- 
tions."2 Then  he  mounted  his  horse,  and  he  was  perplexed  and 
confounded  by  what  he  had  heard  from  the  beldam  so  strong  in 
lies  and  ill  calumnies,  and  he  said,  "  There  is  no  Majesty  and  there 
is  no  Might  save  in  Allah,  the  Glorious,  the  Great !  Verily  our 
labour  is  lost  and  our  hearts  are  heavy  within  us,  for  our  Sultan  is 
a  prisoner  and  those  who  are  with  him."  Then  they  cut  across 
the  country,  wide  and  side,  night  and  day,  and  when  morning 
dawned  they  reached  the  head  of  the  defile  and  saw  Zau  al-Makan 
and  Sharrkan  shouting.  "  There  is  no  god  but  the  God !  Allaho 
Akbar !  and  Salutation  and  Salvation  upon  the  Congratulator,  the 
Comminator."3  Whereupon  he  and  his  drove  at  the  Unbelievers 
and  whelmed  them,  as  the  rain-torrent  whelms  the  waste ;  and 
cried  out  their  war-cries,  till  fear  gat  hold  of  the  prowest  Knights 
and  the  mountains  were  cloven  in  affright.  And  when  shone  the 
day  and  showed  its  shine  and  sheen,  the  breeze  of  morning  blew 
upon  them  sweet  and  fragrant,  and  each  recognised  other  as  hath 
been  said  before.  Then  they  kissed  the  ground  before  the  King 
and  before  his  brother  Sharrkan,  who  told  them  all  that  had 
befallen  the  party  in  the  cave.  Now  thereat  they  marvelled  and 


1  In  English  "last  night":  I  have  already  noted  that  the  Moslem  day,  like  the 
Jewish  and  the  Scandinavian,  begins  at  sundown;  and  "layl,"  a  night,  is  often  used  to 
denote  the  twenty-four  hours  between  sunset  and  sunset,  whilst  "yaum,"  a  day,  would 
by  us  be  translated  in  many  cases  "battle-day." 

a  Iterum  the  "  Himalayan  Brothers." 

8  Again,  Mohammed  who  promised  Good  to  the  Good,  and  vice  versd. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       261 

said  to  one  another,  "  Hasten  we  back  to  Constantinople,  for  we 
left  our  companions  there,  and  our  hearts  are  with  them."  So 
they  hurried  departure,  commending  themselves  to  the  Subtle,  the 
All-wise ,  and  Zau  al-Makan  exhorted  the  Moslems  to  steadfast- 
ness and  versified  in  the  following  couplets  :! — 

Be  praises  mine  to  all-praiseworthy  Thee,  o  O  Lord,  who  stinted  not 

mine  aid  to  be ! 
Though  was  I  lost  abroad,  Thou  wast  to  me  o  Strongest  support  which 

vouchsafed  victory : 
Thou  gav'st  me  wealth  and  reign  and  goodly  gifts,  o  And  slungest  conquering 

sword  of  valiancy : 
Thou  mad'st  me  blest  beneath  Thy  kingly  shade,  o  Engraced  with  generous 

boons  dealt  fain  and  free  : 
Thou  savedst  from  every  fear  I  feared,  by  aid       o  Of  my  Wazir,  the  Age's 

noblest  he ! 
Garred  us  Thy  grace  in  fight  to  throw  the  Greek,  o  Who  yet  came  back  dight 

in  War's  cramoisie : 
Then  made  I  feint  to  fly  from  out  the  fight ;          o  But  like  grim  lion  turning 

made  them  flee, 
And  left  on  valley-sole  my  foemen,  drunk  o  Not  with  old  wine1  but 

Death-cup's  revelry : 
Then  came  the  Saintly  Hermit,  and  he  showed      o  His  marvels  wrought  for 

town  and  wold  to  see  ; 
When  slew  they  hero-wights  who  woke  to  dwell    o  In  Eden  bowers  wherein 

sweet  rill-lets  well. 

But,  when  Zau  al-Makan  had  made  an  end  of  versifying,  his 
brother  Sharrkan  congratulated  him  on  his  safety  and  thanked 
him  for  the  deeds  he  had  done ;  after  which  both  set  out  forcing 

their  marches  to  rejoin  their  army. And  Shahrazad  perceived 

the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


Jloto  tofjm  it  tons  tje 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Sharrkan 
congratulated  his  brother,  Zau  al-Makan,  on  his  safety  and 
thanked  him  for  the  deeds  he  had  done:  after  which  both  set 


1  They  are  sad  doggrel  like  most  of  the  pieces  <T occasion  inserted  in  The  Nights. 

8  Here  "Kahwali"  (coffee)  is  used  in  its  original  sense  of  strong  old  wine.  The 
derivation  is  "  Akha "  =  fastidire  fecit,  causing  disinclination  for  food,  the  Matambre 
(kill-hunger)  of  the  Iberians.  In  old  days  the  scrupulous  called  coffee  "Kihwah"  in 
order  to  distinguish  it  from  "  Kahwah,"  wine. 


262  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

out  forcing  their  marches  to  rejoin  their  army.  Such  was  their 
case  ;  but  as  regards  the  old  woman,  Zat  al-Dawahi,  after  she  had 
foregathered  with  the  hosts  of  Rustam  and  Bahram,  she  returned 
to  the  coppice,  where  she  took  her  steed  and  mounted  and  sped  on 
at  speed,  till  she  drew  near  the  Moslem  army  that  beleaguered 
Constantinople,  when  she  lighted  down  from  her  destrier  and  led  it 
to  the  pavilion-tent  of  the  Chief  Chamberlain.  And  when  he  saw 
her,  he  stood  up  to  her  in  honour  and  signed  to  her  with  his  right 
hand  and  said,  "  Welcome  O  pious  recluse  !  "  Then  he  questioned 
her  of  what  had  befallen,  and  she  repeated  to  him  her  disquieting 
lies  and  deluding  calumnies,  saying,  "  In  sooth  I  fear  for  the  Emir 
Rustam,  and  the  Emir  Bahram,  for  that  I  met  them  and  theirs  on 
the  way  and  sent  them  and  their  following  to  relieve  the  King  and 
his  companions.  Now  there  are  but  twenty  thousand  horse  and 
the  Unbelievers  outnumber  them  ;  so  I  would  have  thee  at  this 
moment  send  off  the  rest  of  thy  troops  at  full  speed  to  their  suc- 
cour, lest  they  be  slain  to  the  last  man."  And  she  cried  to  them, 
"  Haste !  Haste  !"  When  the  Chamberlain  and  the  Moslems  heard 
these  words,  their  spirits  fell  and  they  wept ;  but  Zat  al-Dawahi 
said  to  them,  "  Ask  aidance  of  Allah  and  bear  patiently  this  tribu- 
lation ;  for  ye  have  the  example  of  those  who  have  been  before  you 
of  the  people  of  Mohammed  ;  and  Paradise  with  its  palaces  is  laid 
out  by  Allah  for  those  who  die  martyrs  ;  and  needs  must  all  die, 
but  most  praiseworthy  is  dying  while  fighting  for  the  Faith."  The 
Chamberlain,  hearing  this  speech  of  the  accursed  old  woman,  called 
for  the  Emir  Bahram's  brother,  a  knight  by  name  Tarkash  ;  and, 
choosing  out  for  him  ten  thousand  horse,  riders  famed  for  force, 
bade  him  set  out  at  once.  So  he  fared  forth  and  marched  all  that 
day  and  the  whole  of  the  next  night,  till  he  neared  the  Moslems. 
When  daylight  dawned,  Sharrkan  saw  the  dust  cloud  about  them 
and  feared  for  the  men  of  Al-Islam  and  said,  "If  these  troops  which 
are  coming  upon  us  be  Moslem  men  our  victory  is  assured  by 
them  ;  but,  if  these  be  Nazarenes,  there  is  no  gainsaying  Destiny's 
decrees."  Then  he  turned  to  his  brother,  Zau  al-Makan,  and  said, 
"  Never  fear,  for  with  my  life  I  will  ransom  thee  from  death.  If 
these  be  Mohammedan  troops,  then  were  it  an  increase  of  heavenly 
favours ;  but,  if  they  be  our  foes,  there  is  no  help  save  that  we 
fight  them.  Yet  do  I  long  to  meet  the  Holy  Man  ere  I  die,  so  I 
may  beg  him  to  pray  that  I  die  not  save  by  death  of  martyrdom." 
Whilst  the  twain  were  thus  speaking,  behold,  there  appeared  the 
banners  inscribed  with  the  words,  "  There  is  no  God  but  the  God 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       263 

and  Mohammed  is  the  Apostle  of  God  ;  "  and  Sharrkan  cried  out, 
"  How  is  it  with  the  Moslems  ? "  "  All  are  sound  and  safe,"  replied 
they,  "and  we  came  not  but  out  of  concern  for  you."  Then  the 
Chief  of  the  army  dismounted  and,  kissing  ground  before  Sharrkan, 
asked,  "  O  my  lord,  how  be  the  Sultan  and  the  Wazir  Dandan  and 
Rustam  and  my  brother  Bahram  ;  are  they  all  in  safety  ? "  He 
answered,  "  All  well ;  but  who  brought  thee  tidings  of  us  ? "  Quoth 
Tarkash  ;  "  It  was  the  Holy  Man  who  told  us  that  he  had  met  my 
brother  Bahram  and  Rustam  and  had  sent  them  both  to  you  and 
he  also  assured  us  that  the  Infidels  had  encompassed  you  and  out- 
numbered you  ;  but  I  see  not  the  case  save  the  contrary  thereof 
and  that  you  are  victorious."  They  questioned  him,  "  And  how 
did  the  Holy  Man  reach  you  ?";  and  he  replied,  "  Walking  on  his 
feet  and  he  had  compassed  in  a  day  and  a  night,  ten  days'  journey 
for  a  well  girt  horseman."  There  is  no  doubt  but  that  he  is  a  Saint 
of  Allah,"  said  Sharrkan,  "  but  where  is  he  now  ?  "  They  rejoined, 
"  We  left  him  with  our  troops,  the  folk  of  the  Faith,  moving  them 
to  do  battle  with  the  rebels  and  the  Faithless."  Thereat  Sharrkan 
rejoiced  and  all  thanked  Allah  for  their  own  deliverance  and  the 
safety  of  the  Holy  Man  ;  and  commended  the  dead  to  His  mercy 
saying,  "  This  was  writ  in  the  Book."  Then  they  set  out  making 
for  Constantinople  by  forced  marches,  and  whilst  they  were  on  this 
enterprise,  behold,  a  dust-cloud  arose  to  such  height  that  it  walled 
the  two  horizons,  the  eastern  and  the  western,  from  man's  sight 
and  the  day  was  darkened  by  it  to  night.  But  Sharrkan  looked 
at  it  and  said,  "  Verily,  I  fear  lest  this  be  the  Infidels  who  have 
routed  the  army  of  Al-Islam  for  that  this  dust  walleth  the  world, 
east  and  west,  and  hideth  the  two  horizons,  north  and  south." 
Presently  appeared  under  the  dust  a  pillar  of  darkness,  blacker  than 
the  blackness  of  dismal  days  ;  nor  ceased  to  come  upon  them  that 
column  more  dreadful  than  the  dread  of  the  Day  of  Doom.  Horse 
and  foot  hastened  up  to  look  at  it  and  know  the  terrors  of  the  case, 
when  behold,  they  saw  it  to  be  the  recluse  aforesaid  ;  so  they 
thronged  round  him  to  kiss  his  hands  and  he  cried  out,  "  O  people 
of  the  Best  of  Mankind,1  the  lamp  which  shineth  in  darkness  blind, 
verily  the  Infidels  have  outwitted  the  Moslems  by  guile,  for  they 
fell  upon  the  host  of  the  One  God  whilst  they  deemed  themselves 
safe  from  the  Faithless,  and  attacked  them  in  their  tents  and  made 
a  sore  slaughter  of  them  what  while  they  looked  for  no  wile  ;  so 

1  «>.  Mohammed,  a  common  title 


264  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

hasten  to  the  aid  of  the  Believers  in  the  unity  of  God,  and  deliver 
them  from  those  who  deny  Him  !"  Now  when  Sharrkan  heard 
these  words,  his  heart  flew  from  his  breast  with  sore  trouble ;  and, 
alighting  from  his  steed  in  amazement,  he  kissed  the  Recluse's 
hands  and  feet.  On  like  wise  did  his  brother,  Zau  al-Makan,  and 
the  rest  of  the  foot  and  horse-troops  ;  except  the  Wazir  Dandan, 
who  dismounted  not  but  said,  "  By  Allah,  my  heart  flieth  from  this 
devotee,  for  I  never  knew  show  of  devotion  to  religion  that  bred 
not  bane.  So  leave  him  and  rejoin  your  comrades  the  Moslems, 
for  this  man  is  of  the  outcasts  from  the  gate  of  the  mercy  of 
the  Lord  of  the  Three  Worlds  !  How  often  have  I  here  made 
razzias  with  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  trodden  the  earth 
of  these  lands ! "  Said  Sharrkan,  "  Put  away  from  thee  such  evil 
thought,  hast  thou  not  seen  this  Holy  Man  exciting  the  Faithful  to 
fight,  and  holding  spears  and  swords  light  ?  So  slander  him  not, 
for  backbiting  is  blameable  and  poisoned  is  the  flesh  of  the  pious.1 
Look  how  he  inciteth  us  to  fight  the  foe ;  and,  did  not  Almighty 
Allah  love  him,  He  had  cast  him  aforetime  into  fearful  torment." 
Then  Sharrkan  bade  bring  a  Nubian  mule  for  the  ascetic  to  ride 
and  said,  "  Mount,  O  pious  man,  devout  and  virtuous  ! "  But  the 
devotee  refused  to  ride  and  feigned  self-denial,  that  he  might  attain 
his  end  ;  and  they  knew  not  that  this  holy  personage  was  like  him 
of  whom  the  poet  saith  : — 

He  prayeth  and  he  fasteth  for  an  end  he  doth  espy ;  o  When  once  his  end  is 
safely  won  then  fast  and  prayer  good-bye.2 

So  the  devotee  ceased  not  to  walk  among  the  horsemen  and  the 
footmen,  like  a  wily  fox  meditating  guile,  and  began  to  uplift  her 
voice,  chanting  the  Koran  and  praising  the  Compassionate  One. 
And  they  continued  pressing  forward  till  they  approached  the  camp 
of  Al-Islam,  where  Sharrkan  found  the  Moslem  in  conquered  plight 
and  the  Chamberlain  upon  the  brink  of  falling  back  in  flight,  whilst 
the  sword  of  Greece  havoc  dight  among  the  Faithful,  the  righteous 

and  those  who  work  unright, And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn 

of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say, 


1  That  is,  fatal  to  the  scoffer  and  the  impious. 
4  Equivalent  to  our  "  The  Devil  was  sick,"  etc* 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       265 


Jloto  toijen  it  tons  tfje  f^uirtiteteanlteKConto  Jiigfot, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  Sharr- 
kan  saw  the  Moslems  in  conquered  plight  and  the  Chamberlain 
upon  the  brink  of  retreat  and  flight  and  the  sword  havoc  dight 
among  the  righteous  and  the  workers  of  unright,  the  cause  of  this 
weakness  among  the  Moslems  was  that  the  accursed  old  woman, 
Zat  al-Dawahi,  the  foe  of  the  Faith,  after  seeing  that  Bahram  and 
Rustam  had  set  forward  with  their  troops  to  join  Sharrkan  and  his 
brother  Zau  al-Makan,  repaired  to  the  camp  of  the  Mahometans 
before  Constantinople  and  caused  the  mission  of  the  EmirTarkash, 
as  hath  been  before  said.  In  this  her  purpose  was  to  divide  the 
Moslem  forces  the  better  to  weaken  them.  Then  she  left  them  and 
entered  Constantinople,  and  called  with  a  loud  voice  on  the  knights 
of  the  Greeks,  saying,  "  Let  me  down  a  cord  that  I  may  tie  thereto 
this  letter,  and  do  ye  bear  it  to  your  King  Afridun,  that  he  may  read 
it  and  to  my  son  King  Hardub  that  they  both  do  what  is  written 
therein  of  bidding  and  forbidding."  So  they  let  down  for  her  a 
string  and  she  tied  thereto  a  letter  whose  purport  was  the  following : 
"  From  the  terriblest  of  tribulations1  and  the  chiefest  of  all  calami- 
ties, Zat  al-Dawahi,  to  King  Afridun  greeting.  But  afterwards.  Of 
a  truth  I  have  contrived  a  device  for  destroying  the  Moslems ;  so 
bide  ye  quiet  and  content.  I  have  cozened  and  captured  their 
Sultan  and  the  Wazir  Dandan  ;  and  then  I  returned  to  their  camp 
and  acquainted  them  therewith,  whereby  their  pride  had  a  fall  and 
their  withers  were  wrung.  And  I  have  so  wrought  upon  the  host 
'leaguering  Constantinople  that  they  have  sent  ten  thousand  men 
under  the  Emir  Tarkash  to  succour  the  captives,  of  whom  there  be 
now  left  but  few ;  it  is  therefore  my  object  that  ye  sally  forth  against 
them  with  all  your  power  while  this  day  endureth  ;  and  that  ye  fall 
on  them  in  their  tents  and  that  ye  leave  them  not  till  ye 'shall  have 
slain  them  to  the  last  man  ;  for,  verily  the  Messiah  looketh  down 
upon  you  and  the  Blessed  Virgin  favoureth  you  ;  and  I  hope  of  the 
Messiah  that  he  forget  not  what  deed  I  have  done."  When  her 
letter  came  to  King  Afridun,  he  rejoiced  with  great  joyance ;  and, 
sending  at  once  for  King  Hardub  of  Greece,  son  of  Zat  al-Dawahi, 
read  the  letter  to  him  as  soon  as  he  came,  whereat  he  was  exceeding- 


1  i.e.  to  the  enemy  :  the  North  American  Indians  (so  called)  use  similar  forms  of  "in- 
verted- speech  " ;  and  the  Australian  aborigines  are  in  no  way  behind  them. 


266  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

glad  and  said,  "  See  my  mother's  craft ;  verily  it  dispenseth  with 
swords,  and  her  aspect  standeth  in  stead  of  the  terrors  of  the  Day 
of  Dread."  Rejoined  Afridun,  "  May  the  Messiah  not  bereave  us 
of  thy  venerable  parent  nor  deprive  her  of  her  wile  and  guile !  " 
Then  he  bade  the  Knights  give  orders  for  sallying  outside  the  city, 
and  the  news  was  noised  abroad  in  Constantinople.  So  the  Naza- 
renes  and  the  cohorts  of  the  Cross  burst  forth  and  unsheathed  their 
Iceen  sabres  in  their  numbers,  shouting  out  their  professions  of  im- 
piety and  heresies,  and  blaspheming  the  Lord  of  all  Creatures. 
When  the  Chamberlain  saw  the  sally,  he  said,  "  Behold,  the  Greek 
is  upon  us  and  they  surely  have  learned  that  our  Sultan  is  far  away; 
and  haply  they  have  attacked  us,  for  that  the  most  part  of  our 
troops  have  marched  to  the  succour  of  King  Zau  al-Makan ! " 
Therewith  he  waxed  wroth  and  cried  out,  "  Ho,  soldiers  of  Al-Islam 
and  favourers  of  the  True  Faith,  an  you  flee  you  are  lost,  but  if  ye 
stand  fast,  ye  win  !  Know  ye  that  valiancy  lieth  in  endurance  of 
outrance  and  that  no  case  is  so  strait  but  that  the  Almighty  is  able 
to  make  it  straight ;  Allah  assain  you  and  look  upon  you  with  eyes 
of  compassion  fain !  "  Thereupon  the  Moslems  cried  out,  "  Allaho 
Akbar  ! "  and  the  believer  in  the  One  God  shouted  his  slogan,  and 
whirled  the  mill-wheels  of  fight  with  cutting  and  thrusting  in  main 
and  might ;  scymitars  and  spears  played  sore  and  the  plains  and 
valleys  were  swamped  with  gore.  The  priests  and  monks  priested 
it,  tight-girding  their  girdles  and  uplifting  the  Crucifixes,  while  the 
Moslem  shouted  out  the  professions  of  the  Requiting  King  and 
verses  of  the  Koran  began  to  sing.  The  hosts  of  the  Compassionate 
One  fought  against  the  legions  of  Satan;  and  head  flew  from 
body  of  man,  while  the  good  Angels  hovered  above  the  people  of 
the  Chosen  Prophet,  nor  did  the  sword  cease  to  smite  till  the  day 
darkened  and  night  came  on  and  starkened.  Now  the  mis- 
creants had  encompassed  the  Moslems  and  made  sure  of  escaping 
the  pains  that  awaited  them ;  and  the  Faithless  greeded  for 
victory  over  the  Faithful  until  day  dawned  and  dazzled.  There- 
upon the  Chamberlain  mounted,  he  and  his  men,  trusting  that 
Allah  would  help  them  to  victory ;  and  host  was  mingled  with  host 
and  battle  rose  a-foot  and  took  post.  And  heads  flew  from  trunks 
whilst  the  brave  stood  fast  in  stead  ;  the  craven  turned  tail  and 
fled ;  and  the  Judge  of  death  judged  and  sentence  sped,  so  that 
the  champions  fell  from  their  saddles  slain  and  corpses  cumbered 
meadow  and  plain.  Then  the  Moslem  began  to  give  ground  and 
rearwards  bent ;  and  the  Greek  took  possession  o£  some  of  their 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.       267 

tents ;  whereupon  the  Moslems  were  about  to  break  and  retreat 
and  take  flight,  when  meanwhile  behold,  up  came  Sharrkan 
with  the  rest  of  the  host  of  Al-Islam  and  the  standards  of  the 
Believers  in  Unity.  And  having  come  up  with  them,  he  charged 
the  Infidels ;  and  followed  him  Zau  al-Makan  and  the  Wazir 
Dandan  and  the  Emirs  Bahram  and  Rustam  with  his  brother 
Tarkash.  When  the  foe  saw  this,  they  lost  head  and  their  reason 
fled,  and  the  dust  clouds  towered  till  they  covered  the  country, 
whilst  the  righteous  Believers  joined  their  pious  comrades.  Then 
Sharrkan  accosted  the  Chamberlain  and  praised  him  for  his  stead- 
fastness ;  and  he  in  turn  gave  the  Prince  joy  of  his  timely  succour 
and  his  gaining  the  day.  Thereat  the  Moslems  were  glad  and 
their  hearts  were  heartened  ;  so  they  rushed  upon  their  enemies 
and  devoted  themselves  to  Allah  in  their  Fight  for  the  Faith.  But 
when  the  Idolaters  beheld  the  standards  Mohammedan  and  thereon 
the  profession  of  Faith  Islamitan,  proclaiming  the  Unity,  they 
shrieked  "  Woe  ! "  and  "  Ruin !  "  and  besought  succour  of  the 
Patriarchs  of  the  Monasteries.  Then  fell  they  to  calling  upon 
John  and  Mary  and  the  Cross  abhorrent  and  stayed  their  hands 
from  slaughter,  whilst  King  Afridun  went  up  to  consult  King 
Hardub  of  Greece,  for  the  two  Kings  stood  one  at  the  head  of  each 
wing,  right  and  left.  Now  there  was  with  them  also  a  famous 
cavalier,  Lawiyd  hight,  who  commanded  the  centre  ;  and  they  drew 
out  in  battle  array,  but  indeed  they  were  full  of  alarm  and  affray. 
Meanwhile,  the  Moslems  aligned  their  forces  and  thereupon 
Sharrkan  came  to  his  brother,  Zau  al-Makan,  and  said,  "  O  King 
of  the  Age,  doubtless  they  mean  to  champion  it,  and  that  is  also 
the  object  of  our  desire ;  but  it  is  my  wish  to  push  forward  the 
stoutest-hearted  of  our  fighters,  for  by  forethought  is  one  half  of 
life  wrought."  Replied  the  Sultan,  "  As  thou  wilt,  O  companion 
of  good  counsel ! "  "  It  is  my  wish,"  added  Sharrkan,  "  to  stand 
in  mid-line  opposite  the  Infidel,  with  the  Wazir  Dandan  on  my  left 
and  thee  on  my  right,  whilst  the  Emir  Bahram  leads  the  dexter- 
wing  and  the  Emir  Rustam  leads  the  wing  sinistral ;  and  thou,  O 
mighty  King,  shalt  be  under  the  standards  and  the  ensigns,  for 
that  thou  art  the  pillar  of  our  defence ;  upon  thee,  after  Allah,  1*3 
our  dependence  and  we  will  all  be  thy  ransom  from  aught  that  can 
harm  thee."  Zau  al-Makan  thanked  him  therefor,  and  the  slogan, 
arose  and  the  sabre  was  drawn  ;  but,  as  things  stood  thus,  behold, 
there  came  forth  a  cavalier  from  the  ranks  of  Roum  ;  and,  as  he 
drew  near,  they  saw  that  he  was  mounted  on  a  slow-paced  she* 


268  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

mule,  fleeing  with  her  master  from  the  shock  of  swords.  Her 
housings  were  of  white  silk  covered  by  a  prayer-carpet  of  Cash- 
mere stuff,  and  on  her  back  sat  a  Shaykh,  an  old  man  of  comely 
presence  and  reverend  aspect,  garbed  in  a  gown  of  white  wool. 
He  stinted  not  pushing  her  and  hurrying  her  on  till  he  came  near 
the  Moslem  and  said, "  I  am  an  ambassador  to  you  all,  and  an 
ambassador  hath  naught  to  do  save  to  deliver  j  so  give  me  safe 
conduct  and  permit  of  speech,  that  I  communicate  to  you  my 
message."  Replied  Sharrkan,  "  Thou  art  in  safety :  fear  neither 
sway  of  sword  nor  lunge  of  lance."  Thereupon  the  old  man  dis- 
mounted and,  taking  the  Cross  from  his  neck,  placed  it  before  the 
Sultan  and  humbled  himself  with  much  humility.  Then  quoth  to 
him  the  Moslems,  "  What  is  with  thee  of  news  ?  ";  and  quoth  he, 
"  I  am  an  ambassador  from  King  Afridun,  for  I  counselled  him  to 
avert  the  destruction  of  all  these  frames  of  men  and  temples  of 
the  Compassionate  One ;  and  to  him  it  seemed  righteous  to  stay 
the  shedding  of  blood  and  limit  it  to  the  encounter  of  two  knights 
in  shock  of  fight  singular ;  so  he  agreed  to  that  and  he  saith  to 
you  : — Verily,  I  will  ransom  my  army  with  my  life  ;  so  let  the 
Moslem  King  do  as  I  do  and  with  his  life  ransom  his  host.  And 
if  he  kill  me,  there  will  be  no  stay  left  in  the  army  of  Roum,  and 
if  I  kill  him,  there  will  be  no  stability  with  the  Moslems."  When 
Sharrkan  heard  this  he  said,  "  O  monk,  I  agree  to  that,  for  it 
is  just  nor  may  it  be  gainsaid  ;  and  behold,  I  will  meet  him  in 
duello  and  do  with  him  derring-do,  for  I  am  Champion  of  the 
Faithful  even  as  he  is  Champion  of  the  Faithless  ;  and  if  he  slay 
me,  he  will  have  won  the  day  and  naught  will  remain  for  the 
Moslems  forces  save  flight  So  return  to  him,  O  thou  monk,  and 
say  that  the  single  combat  shall  take  place  to-morrow,  for  this 
day  we  have  come  off  our  journey  and  are  aweary ;  but  after  rest 
neither  reproach  nor  blame  fear  ye."  So  the  monk  returned  (and 
he  rejoicing)  to  King  Afridun  and  King  Hardub,  and  told  them 
both  what  Sharrkan  had  said,  whereat  King  Afridun  was  glad 
with  exceeding  gladness  and  fell  from  him  anxiety  and  sadness, 
and  he  said  to  himself,  "  No  doubt  but  this  Sharrkan  is  their 
doughtiest  swayer  of  the  sword  and  the  dourest  at  lunge  of  lance ; 
and  when  I  shall  have  slain  him,  their  hearts  will  be  disheartened 
and  their  strength  will  be  shattered."  Now  Zat  al-Dawahi  had 
written  to  King  Afridun  of  that  and  had  told  him  how  Sharrkan 
was  a  Knight  of  the  Braves  and  the  bravest  of  knights  and  had 
warned  him  against  him ;  but  Afridun  was  a  stalwart  cavalier  who 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Ntfumdn  and  his  Sons.       269 

fought  in  many  a  fashion  ;  he  could  hurl  rocks  and  throw  spears 
and  smite  with  the  iron  mace  and  he  feared  not  the  prowest  of 
the  prow.  So  when  he  heard  the  report  of  the  monk  that  Sharr- 
kan  agreed  to  the  duello,  he  was  like  to  fly  for  exceeding  joy, 
because  he  had  self-confidence  and  he  knew  that  none  could  with- 
stand him.  The  Infidels  passed  that  night  in  joy  and  jubilee  and 
wine-bibbing ;  and,  as  soon  as  it  was  dawn,  the  two  armies  drew 
out  with  the  swart  of  spear  and  the  blanch  of  blade.  And  behold, 
a  cavalier  rode  single-handed  into  the  plain,  mounted  on  a  steed 
of  purest  strain,  and  for  foray  and  fray  full  ready  and  fain.  And 
that  Knight  had  limbs  of  might  and  he  was  clad  in  an  iron  cuirass 
made  for  stress  of  fight.  On  his  breast  he  wore  a  jewelled  mirror 
and  in  his  hand  he  bore  a  keen  scymitar  and  his  lance  of  Kha- 
lanj-wood,1  the  curious  work  of  the  Frank,  weighing  a  quintal. 
Then  the  rider  uncovered  his  face  and  cried  out,  saying,  "  Whoso 
knoweth  me  verily  hath  enough  of  me,  and  whoso  knoweth  me 
not  right  soon2  shall  ken  who  I  be.  I  am  Afridun  the  over- 
whelmed by  the  well-omened  Shawihi,8  Zat  al-Dawahi."  But  he 
had  not  ended  speaking  ere  Sharrkan,  the  Champion  of  the  Mos- 
lems, fared  forth  to  meet  him,  mounted  on  a  sorrel  horse  worth  a 
thousand  pieces  of  red  gold  with  accoutrements  purfled  in  pearls 
and  precious  stone ;  and  he  bore  in  baldrick  a  blade  of  watered 
Indian  steel  that  through  necks  shore  and  made  easy  the  hard 
and  sore.  He  drave  his  charger  between  the  two  hosts  in  line 
whilst  the  horsemen  all  fixed  on  him  their  eyne,  and  he  cried  out 
to  Afridun,  "  Woe  to  thee,  O  accursed  !  dost  thou  deem  me  one 
of  the  horsemen  thou  hast  overta'en  who  cannot  stand  against 
thee  on  battle-plain  ? "  Then  each  rushed  upon  other  and  they 
bashed  together  like  two  mountains  crashing  or  two  billows  dash- 
ing and  clashing  :  they  advanced  and  retreated  ;  and  drew  together 
and  withdrew  ;  and  stinted  not  of  fray  and  fight  and  weapon-play, 
and  strife  and  stay,  with  stroke  of  sword  and  lunge  of  lance.  Of 
the  two  armies  looking  on,  some  said,  "  Sharrkan  is  victor !  "  and 
others,  "  Afridun  will  conquer ! "  ;  and  the  two  riders  stayed  not 
their  hands  from  the  hustle  until  ceased  the  clamour  and  the 


1  See  Vcl.  i.,  p.  154  (Night  xvi.). 

2  Arab.  "  Sauf,"  a  particle  denoting  a  near  future   whereas  "Sa-"  points  to  one 
which  may  be  very  remote. 

3  From  the  root  "  Shauh  "  =  having  a  fascinating  eye,   terrifying.      The  Irish  caD 
the  fascinater  "eybittcr  "  and  the  victim  (who  is  also  rhymed  to  death)  4<  eybitten." 


2;o 


A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 


bustle  ;  and  the  dust-columns  rose  and  the  day  waned  and  the 
sun  waxed  yellow  and  wan.  Then  cried  out  King  Afridun  to 
Sharrkan,  saying,  "  By  the  truth  of  the  Messiah  and  the  Faith 
which  is  no  liar,  thou  art  nought  save  a  doughty  rider  and  a 
stalwart  fighter ;  but  thou  art  fraudful  and  thy  nature  is  not 
that  of  the  noble.  I  ken  thy  work  is  other  than  praiseworthy  nor 
is  thy  prowess  that  of  a  Prince ;  for  thy  people  behave  to  thee  as 
though  thou  wert  a  slave  j1  and  see  !  they  bring  thee  out  a  charger 
which  is  not  thine,  that  thou  mayst  mount  and  return  to  the  fight. 
But  by  the  truth  of  my  Faith,  thy  fighting  irketh  and  fatigueth  me 
and  I  am  weary  of  cutting  and  thrusting  with  thee ;  and  if  thou 
purpose  to  lay  on  load  with  me  to-night,  thou  wouldst  not  change 
aught  of  thy  harness  nor  thy  horse,  till  thou  approve  to  the  cavaliers 
thy  generous  blood  and  skill  in  brunt."  When  Sharrkan  heard 
him  say  these  words  concerning  his  own  folk  behaving  to  him 
though  he  were  a  slave,  he  waxt  wroth  and  turned  towards  his 
men,  meaning  to  sign  to  them  and  bid  them  not  prepare  him 
change  of  harness  or  horse,  when  lo !  Afridun  shook  his  throw- 
spear  high  in  air  and  cast  it  at  Sharrkan.  Now  when  the  Moslem 
turned  his  back,  he  found  none  of  the  men  near  him,  and  he  knew 
this  to  be  a  trick  of  the  accursed  Infidel ;  so  he  wheeled  round  in 
haste  and  behold,  the  javelin  came  at  him,  so  he  swerved  from  it, 
till  his  head  was  bent  low  as  his  saddle-bow.  The  weapon  grazed 
his  breast,  and  pierced  the  skin  of  his  chest,  for  Sharrkan  was 
high-bosomed  :  whereupon  he  gave  one  cry  and  swooned  away. 
Thereat  the  accursed  Afridun  was  joyful,  thinking  he  had  slain 
him ;  and  shouted  to  the  Infidels  bidding  them  rejoice,  whereat 
the  Faithless  were  encouraged  and  the  Faithful  wept.  When 
Zau  al-Makan  saw  his  brother  reeling  in  selle  so  that  he  well-nigh 
fell,  he  despatched  cavaliers  towards  him  and  the  braves,  hurried 
to  his  aid  and  came  up  with  him.  Thereupon  the  Infidels  drove 
at  the  Moslems  ;  the  two  hosts  joined  battle  and  the  two  lines  were 
mingled,  whilst  the  keen  scymitar  of  Al-Yaman  did  good  work. 

Now  the  first  to  reach  Sharrkan  was  the  Wazir  Dandan And 

Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  per- 
mitted say. 


1  i.e. t  not  like  the  noble-born,  strong  in  enduring  the  stress  of  fight. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.      271 


tofjrn  it  tons  Hje  ^utrtrcteairtj-tfjirti  NiQf)t, 


She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when 
King  Zau  al-Makan  saw  that  the  accursed  Infidel  had  struck 
with  javelin  his  brother  Sharrkan,  he  deemed  him  dead,  and 
despatched  cavaliers  towards  him  ;  and  the  first  to  reach  him  were 
the  Wazir  Dandan  and  the  Emir  of  the  Turks,  Bahram,  and  the 
Emir  of  the  Daylamites,  Rustam.  They  found  him  falling  from  his 
horse  ;  so  they  stayed  him  in  his  saddle  and  returned  with  him  to 
his  brother,  Zau  al-Makan  ;  then  they  gave  him  in  charge  to  his 
pages,  and  went  again  to  do  the  work  of  cut  and  thrust.  So  the 
strife  redoubled  and  the  weapons  together  clashed  and  ceased  not 
bate  and  debate  and  naught  was  to  be  seen  but  blood  flowing 
and  necks  bowing  ;  nor  did  the  swords  cease  on  the  napes  of  men 
to  make  play  nor  the  strife  to  rage  with  more  and  more  affray,  till 
the  most  part  of  the  night  was  past  away  and  the  two  hosts 
were  aweary  of  the  mellay.  So  they  called  a  truce  and  each 
army  returned  to  its  tents,  whilst  all  the  Infidels  repaired  to  King 
Afridun  and  kissed  the  ground  before  him,  and  the  priests  and 
monks  wished  him  joy  of  his  victory  over  Sharrkan.  Then  the 
King  fared  for  Constantinople  and  sat  upon  the  throne  of  his 
realm,  when  King  Hardub  came  to  him  and  said,  ''May  thq 
Messiah  strengthen  thy  fore-arm  and  never  cease  to  be  thy  helper 
and  hearken  to  what  prayers  my  pious  mother,  Zat  al-Dawahi, 
shall  pray  for  thee  !  Know  that  the  Moslems  can  make  no  stay 
without  Sharrkan."  Replied  Afridun,  "  To-morrow  shall  end  the 
affair  when  to  fight  I  fare  :  I  will  seek  Zau  al-Makan  and  slay  him, 
and  their  army  shall  turn  tail  and  of  flight  shall  avail."  Such  was 
the  case  with  the  Kafirs  ;  but  as  regards  the  host  of  Al-Islam,  when 
Zau  al-Makan  returned  to  his  tent,  he  thought  of  naught  but  his 
brother  and,  going  into  the  pavilion,  found  him  in  evil  case  and 
sore  condition  ;  whereupon  he  summoned  for  counsel  the  Wazir 
Dandan  and  Rustam  and  Bahram.  When  they  entered,  they 
opined  to  assemble  the  physicians  that  they  might  medicine 
Sharrkan,  and  they  wept  and  said,  "  The  world  will  not  readily 
afford  his  like  1  "  and  they  watched  by  him  all  that  night,  and 
about  the  later  hours  came  to  them  the  Recluse  in  tears.  When 
Zau  al-Makan  saw  him,  he  rose  in  honour;  and  the  Religious 
stroked  Sharrkan's  wound  with  his  hand,  chanting  somewhat  of  the 
Koran  and  repeating  by  way  of  talisman  some  of  the  verses  of  the 


272  Alf  Laylak  wa^Laylak. 

Compassionate  One.  And  the  pretender  ceased  not  to  watch  over 
him  till  dawn,  when  he  came  to  himself  and,  opening  his  eyes, 
moved  his  tongue  in  his  mouth  and  spoke.  At  this  Zau  al-Makan 
rejoiced,  saying,  "  Of  a  truth  the  blessing  of  the  Holy  Man  hath 
taken  effect  on  him ! "  And  Sharrkan  said,  "  Praised  be  Allah 
for  recovery ;  indeed,  I  am  well  at  this  hour.  That  accursed  one 
played  me  false;  and,  but  that  I  swerved  aside  lighter  than  light- 
ning, the  throw-spear  had  pierced  through  my  breast.  So  praised 
be  Allah  for  saving  me  !  And  how  is  it  with  the  Moslems  ? " 
Answered  Zau  al-Makan,  "All  are  weeping  for  thee."  Quoth 
Sharrkan,  "  I  am  well  and  in  good  case  ;  but  where  is  the  Holy 
Man  ?"  Now  he  was  sitting  by  him  and  said,  "  At  thy  head."  So 
the  Prince  turned  to  him  and  kissed  his  hand  when  he  said, "  O 
my  son !  be  of  good  patience  and  Allah  shall  increase  thy  re- 
ward ;  for  the  wage  is  measured  by  the  work."  Sharrkan  rejoined, 
"  Pray  for  me/'  and  he  prayed  for  him.  As  soon  as  morning 
dawned  and  day  brake  in  shine  and  sheen,  the  Moslems  sallied  out 
to  the  plain  and  the  Kafirs  made  ready  to  thrust  and  cut.  Then 
the  Islamite  host  advanced  and  offered  fight  with  weapons  ready 
dight,  and  King  Zau  al-Makan  and  Afridun  made  to  charge  one  at 
other.  But  when  Zau  al-Makan  fared  forth  into  the  field,  there 
came  with  him  the  Wazir  Dandan  and  the  Chamberlain  and 
Bahram,  saying,  "  We  will  be  thy  sacrifice."  He  replied,  "  By  the 
Holy  House  and  Zemzem  and  the  Place !  *  I  will  not  be  stayed 
from  going  forth  against  these  wild  asses."  And  when  he  rode  out 
into  the  field  he  played  with  sword  and  spear  till  riders  marvelled 
and  both  armies  wondered ;  then  he  rushed  upon  the  foe's  right 
wing  and  of  it  he  slew  two  knights  and  in  like  manner  he  dealt 
with  the  left  wing.  Presently  he  stayed  his  steed  in  the  midst  of 
the  field  and  cried  out,  "  Where  is  Afridun,  that  I  may  make  him 
taste  the  cup  of  disgrace  ? "  But  when  King  Hardub  saw  the  case 
he  conjured  Afridun  not  to  attack  him,  saying,  "  O  King,  yesterday 
it  was  thy  turn  to  fight  :  it  is  mine  to-day.  I  care  naught  for  his 
prowess."  So  he  rushed  out  towards  Zau  al-Makan  brand  in  hand 


1  i.*.,  of  Abraham.  For  the  Well  Zemzem  and  the  Place  of  Abraham,  see  my 
Pilgrimage  (iii.  171 — 175,  etc.),  where  I  described  the  water  as  of  salt-bitter  taste,  like 
that  of  Epsom  (iii.  203).  Sir  William  Muir  (in  his  excellent  life  of  Mahomet,  I.  cclviii.) 
remarks  that  "  the  flavour  of  stale  water  bottled  up  for  months  would  not  be  a  criterion 
of  the  same  water  freshly  drawn ;"  but  soldered  tins-full  of  water  drawn  a  fortnight  before 
are  to  be  had  in  Calcutta  and  elsewhere  after  Pilgrimage  time  ;  and  analysis  would  at 
once  detect  the  salt. 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.       2/3 

and  under  him  a  stallion  like  Abjar,  which  was  Antar*s  charger, 
and  its  coat  was  jet  black  even  as  saith  the  poet  :  — 

On   the   glancing  racer  outracing  glance  o    He  speeds,  as  though  he  would 

collar  Doom  : 
His  steed's  black  coat  is  of  darkest  jet,  o    And  likest  Night  in  her  nightliest 

gloom  : 
Whose  neigh  sounds  glad  to  the  hearer's  ears  o    Like  thunders  rolling  in  thun- 

d'rous  boom  : 
If  he  race  the  wind  he  will  lead  the  way,  o    And    the   lightning-flash    will 

behind  him  loom.1 

Then  each  rushed  upon  the  opponent,  parrying  blows  and  proving 
the  marvellous  qualities  were  stored  in  him  ;  and  they  fell  to 
drawing  on  and  withdrawing  till  the  breasts  of  the  bystanders 
were  straitened  and  they  were  weary  of  waiting  for  the  event.  At 
last  Zau  al-Makan  cried  out  his  war-cry  and  rushed  upon  Hardub, 
King  of  Caesarea,2  and  struck  him  a  stroke  that  shore  head  from 
trunk  and  slew  him  on  the  spot.  When  the  Infidels  saw  this,  they 
charged  in  a  body,  compact  and  united,  upon  Zau  al-Makan,  who 
met  them  amidfield,  and  they  engaged  in  hewing  and  foining,  till 
blood  ran  in  rills.  Then  the  Moslems  cried  out,  "  Allaho  Akbar ! " 
— God  is  most  great — and  "There  is  no  god  but  the  God  ! "  ;  and 
invoked  salvation  for  the  Prophet,  the  Bringer  of  Glad  Tidings,  the 
Bearer  of  Bad  Tidings.  And  there  befel  a  great  fight,  but  Allah 
assigned  victory  to  the  Faithful  and  defeat  to  the  Faithless.  The 
Wazir  Dandan  shouted,  "  Take  your  blood-revenge  for  King  Omar 
bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  son  Sharrkan ! " ;  and  bared  his  head  and 
cried  out  to  the  Turks.  Now  there  were  by  his  side  more  than 
twenty  thousand  horse,  and  all  charged  with  him  as  one  man,  when 
the  Faithless  found  naught  to  save  their  lives  but  flight.  So  they 
turned  tail  to  fly  while  the  biting  sabre  wrought  its  havoc  and  the 
Moslems  slew  of  them  that  day  some  fifty  thousand  horse  and  took 
more  than  that  number :  much  folk  also  were  slain  while  going  in 


1  Racing  was  and  is  a  favourite  pastime  with  those  hippomanists,  the  Arabs ;  but  it 
contrasts  strongly  with  our  civilised  form  being  a  trial  of  endurance  rather  than  of  speed. 
The  Prophet  is  said  to  have  limited  betting  in  these  words,  "  There  shall  be  no  wagering 
save  on  the  Khuff  (camel's  foot),  the  Hafir  (hoof  of  horse,  ass,  etc.)  or  the  Nasal  (arrow- 
pile  or  lance  .head). 

3  In  the  Mac.  Edit.  "  Annan  "  =  Armenia,  which  has  before  occurred.  The  author 
or  scribe  here  understands  by  "Caesarea'*  not  the  old  Turris  Stratonis,  Herod's  city 
called  after  Augustus,  but  Caesareia  the  capital  of  Cappadocia  (Pliny,  vi.  3),  the  royal 
residence  before  called  Mazaca  (Strabo). 

VOL.   II.  S 


274  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

at  the  gates,  for  the  flock  was  great.  Then  the  Greeks  hove  to  the 
doors  and  swarmed  up  the  walls  to  await  the  assault ;  and  in  fine 
the  Moslem  hosts  returned  to  their  tents  aided  to  glory  and  victory, 
and  King  Zau  al-Makan  went  in  to  his  brother  whom  he  found  in 
most  joyous  case.  So  he  made  a  prostration  of  thanks  to  the 
Bountiful  and  the  Exalted ;  and  then  he  came  forward  and  gave 
Sharrkan  joy  of  his  recovery.  Answered  he,  "  Verily  we  are  all 
under  the  benediction  of  this  Religious,  holy  and  righteous,  nor 
would  you  have  been  victorious,  but  for  his  accepted  orisons; 
indeed  all  day  he  remained  at  prayer  to  invoke  victory  on  the 

Moslems." And   Shahrazad   perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and 

ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 

Jioto  tofjm  ft  toag  ilje  ^untoteanWoutt!)  jltfifit, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  Zau 
al-Makan  went  in  to  his  brother  Sharrkan,  he  found  him  sitting 
with  the  Holy  Man  by  his  side ;  so  he  rejoiced  and  drew  near  him 
and  gave  him  joy  of  his  recovery.  Answered  he,  "  Verily  we  are 
all  under  the  benediction  of  this  Recluse  nor  would  you  have  been 
victorious  but  for  his  prayers,  indeed  he  felt  no  fear  this  day  and 
he  ceased  not  supplication  for  the  Moslems.  I  found  strength 
return  to  me,  when  I  heard  your  *  Allaho  Akbar,'  for  then  I  knew 
you  to  be  victorious  over  your  enemies.  But  now  recount  to  me, 
O  my  brother,  what  befel  thee."  So  he  told  him  all  that  had 
passed  between  him  and  the  accursed  Hardub  and  related  how  he 
had  slain  him  and  sent  him  to  the  malediction  of  Allah ;  and 
Sharrkan  praised  him  and  thanked  him  for  his  prowess.  When 
Zat  al-Dawahi  heard  tell  of  her  son's  death  (and  she  still  drest  as  a 
devotee),  her  face  waxed  yellow  and  her  eyes  ran  over  with  railing 
tears  :«she  kept  her  counsel,  however,  and  feigned  to  the  Moslems 
that  she  was  glad  and  wept  for  excess  of  joy.  But  she  said  to 
herself,  "  By  the  truth  of  the  Messiah,  there  remaineth  no  profit  of 
my  life,  if  I  burn  not  his  heart  for  his  brother,  Sharrkan,  even  as  he 
hath  burnt  my  heart  for  King  Hardub,  the  mainstay  of  Christendom 
and  the  hosts  of  Crossdom ! "  Still  she  kept  her  secret.  And  the 
Wazir  Dandan  and  King  Zau  al-Makan  and  the  Chamberlain 
remained  sitting  with  Sharrkan  till  they  had  dressed  and  salved 
his  wound  ;  after  which  they  gave  him  medicines  and  he  began  to 
recover  strength  ;  whereat  they  joyed  with  exceeding  joy  and  told 
the  troops  who  congratulated  themselves,  saying,  "  To-morrow  he 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nuuman  and  his  Sons.       275 

will  ride  with  us  and  do  manly  devoir  in  the  siege."    Then  said 
Sharrkan  to  them,  "  Ye  have  fought  through  all  this  day  and  are 
aweary  of  fight ;  so  it  behoveth  that  you  return  to  your  places  and 
sleep  and  not  sit  up."     They  accepted  his  counsel  and  then  each 
went  away  to  his  own  pavilion,  and  none  remained  with  Sharrkan 
but  a  few  servants  and  the  old  woman  Zat  al-Dawahi.     He  talked 
with  her  through  part  of  the  night,  then  he  stretched  himself  to 
rest :  and  his  servants  did  likewise  and  presently  sleep  overcame 
them  all  and  they  lay  like  the  dead.     Such  was  the  case  with 
Sharrkan  and  his  men ;   but  as  regards  the  old  woman  she  alone 
abode   awake  while   they  slumbered   in   the   tent  and,   looking 
at   Sharrkan  she  presently  saw  that  he  was  drowned   in   sleep. 
Thereupon  she  sprang  to  her  feet,  as  she  were  a  scald  she-bear 
or  a  speckled  snake,  and  drew  from   her  waist-cloth  a  dagger 
so  poisoned   that  if    laid  thereon  it  would  have  melted  a  rock. 
Then  she  unsheathed   the  poniard  and  went  up  to  Sharrkan's 
head  and  she  drew  the  knife  across  his  throat  and  severed  his 
weasand  and  hewed  off  his  head  from  his  body.     And  once  more 
she  sprang   to  her  feet  ;   and,  going  the  round  of  the  sleeping 
servants,  she  cut  off  their  heads  also,  lest  they  should  awake. 
Then  she  left  the  tent  and  made  for  the  Sultan's  pavilion,  but 
finding  the  guards  on  the  alert,  turned  to  that  of  the  Wazir  Dandan. 
Now  she  found  him  reading  the  Koran  and  when  his  sight  fell  upon 
her  he  said,  "  Welcome  to  the  Holy  Man  !  "  Hearing  this  from  the 
Wazir,  her  heart  trembled  and  she  said,  "The  reason  of  my  coming 
hither  at  this  time  is  that  I  heard  the  voice  of  a  saint  amongst 
Allah's  Saints  and  am  going  to  him."     Then  she  turned  her  back, 
but  the  Wazir  said  to  himself,  "  By  Allah,  I  will  follow  our  Devotee 
this  night !  "    So  he  rose  and  walked  after  her ;   but  when  the 
accursed  old  woman  sensed  his  footsteps,  she  knew  that  he  was 
following  her  :  wherefore  she  feared  the  disgrace  of  discovery  and 
said  in  herself,  "  Unless  I  serve  some  trick  upon  him  he  will  dis- 
grace me."     So  she  turned  and  said  to  him  from  afar,  "  Ho,  thou 
Wazir,  I  am  going  in  search  of  this  Saint  that  I  may  learn  who  he 
is ;  and,  after  learning  this  much,  I  will  ask  his  leave  for  thee  to 
visit  him.     Then  I  will  come  back  and  tell  thee  ;   for  I  fear  thine 
accompanying  me,  without  having  his  permission,  lest  he  take  um- 
brage at  me  seeing  thee  in  my  society."     Now  when  the  Wazir 
heard  these  words,  he  was  ashamed  to  answer  her ;  so  he  left  her 
and  returned  to  his  tent,  and  would  have  slept ;    but  sleep  was  not 
favourable  to  him  and  the  world  seemed  heaped  upon  hirn^    Pre- 


276  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

sently  he  rose  and  went  forth  from  the  tent  saying  in  himself, 
**  I  will  go  to  Sharrkan  and  chat  with  him  till  morning."  But 
•when  he  entered  into  Sharrkan's  pavilion,  he  found  the  blood 
running  like  an  aqueduct  and  saw  the  servants  lying  with  their 
throats  cut  like  beasts  for  food..  At  this  he  cried  a  cry  which 
aroused  all  who  were  asleep  ;  the  folk  hastened  to  him  and,  seeing 
the  blood  streaming,  set  up  a  clamour  of  weeping  and  wailing. 
Then  the  noise  awoke  the  Sultan,  who  enquired  what  was  the( 
matter,  and  it  was  said  to  him,  "  Sharrkan  thy  brother  and  his 
servants  are  murthered."  So  he  rose  in  haste  and  entered  the 
tent,  and  found  the  Wazir  Dandan  shrieking  aloud  and  he  saw 
his  brother's  body  without  a  head.  Thereat  he  swooned  away 
and  all  the  troops  crowded  around  him,  weeping  and  crying  cut, 
and  so  remained  for  a  while,  till  he  came  to  himself,  when  he 
•looked  at  Sharrkan  and  wept  with  sore  weeping,  while  the  Wazir 
and  Rustam  and  Bahram  did  the  like.  But  the  Chamberlain  cried 
and  lamented  more  than  the  rest  and  asked  leave  to  absent 
himself,  such  was  his  alarm.  Then  said  Zau  al-Makan,  "  Know 
ye  who  did  this  deed  and  how  is  it  I  see  not  the  Devotee,  him 
who  the  things  of  this  world  hath  put  away?'*  Quoth  the  Wazir, 
"And  who  should  have  been  the  cause  of  this  affliction,  save 
that  Devotee,  that  Satan?  By  Allah,  my  heart  abhorred  him 
from  the  first,  because  I  know  that  all  who  pretend  to  be  ab- 
sorbed in  practices  religious  are  vile  and  treacherous ! "  And  he 
repeated  to  the  King  the  tale  of  how  he  would  have  followed 
the  Religious,  but  he  forbade  him,  whereupon  the  folk  broke  out 
into  a  tumult  of  weeping  and  lamentation  and  humbled  themselves 
before  Him  who  is  ever  hear,  Him  who  ever  answereth  prayer, 
supplicating  that  He  would  cause  the  false  Devotee  who  denied 
Allah's  testimony  to  fall  into  their  hands.  Then  they  laid  Sharr- 
kan out  and  buried  him  in  the  mountain  aforesaid  and  mourned 

over  his  far-famed  virtues. And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn 

of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 

Jgofo  fofcen  it  foas  tfje  ffiuntateanteftftl)  j&tgjt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  they  laid 
Sharrkan  out  and  buried  him  in  the  mountain  aforesaid  and 
mourned  over  his  far-famed  virtues.  Then  they  looked  for  the 
opening  of  the  city-gate ;  but  it  opened  not  and  no  sign  of  men 
appeared  to  them  on  the  walls;  whereat  they  wondered  with 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.      277 

exceeding  wonder.     But  King  Zau  al-Makan  said,  "  By  Allah,  I 
will  not  turn  back  from  them,  though  I  sit  here  for  years  and  years, 
till  I  take  blood-revenge  for  my  brother  Sharrkan  and  waste  Con- 
stantinople and  kill  the  King  of  the  Nazarenes,  even  if  death 
overcome  me  and  I  be  at  rest  from  this  woeful  world  1 "  Then  he 
bade  be  brought  out  the  treasure  taken  from  the  Monastery  of 
Matruhina;    and    mustered   the  troops  and  divided  the  monies 
among  them,  and  he  left  not  one  of  them  but  he  gave  him  gifts 
which  contented  him.     Moreover,  he  assembled  in  the  presence 
three  hundred  horse  of  every  division  and  said  to  them,  "  Do  ye 
send  supplies  to  your  households,  for  I  am  resolved  to  abide  by 
this  city,  year  after  year,  till  I  have  taken  man-bote  for  my  brother 
Sharrkan,  even  if  I  die  in  this  stead."    And  when  the  army  beard 
these  words  and  had  received  his  gifts  of  money  they  replied,  "  To 
hear  is  to  obey!"     Thereupon  he  summoned  couriers  and  gave 
them  letters  and  charged  them  to  deliver  the  same,  together  with 
the  monies,  to  the  soldiers'  families  and  inform  them  that  all  were 
safe  and  satisfied,  and  acquaint  them  saying,  "  We  are  encamped 
before  Constantinople  and  we  will  either  destroy  it  or  die ;  and, 
albeit  we  be  obliged  to  abide  here  months  and  years,  we  will  not 
depart  hence  till  we  take  it."   Moreover,  he  bade  the  Wazir  Dandan 
write  to  his  sister,  Nuzhat  al-Zaman,  and  said  to  him, "  Acquaint 
her  with  what  hath  befallen  us,  and  what  be  our  situation  and 
commend  my  child  to  her  care  since  that,  when  I  went  out  to  war, 
my  wife  was  near  her  delivery  and  by  this  time  she  must  needs 
have  been  brought  to  bed  ;  and  if  she  hath  given  birth  to  a  boy, 
as  I  have  heard  say,  hasten  your  return  and  bring  me  the  accept- 
able news."     Then  he  gave  them  somewhat  of  money,  which  they 
pouched  and  set  out  at  once ;  and  all  the  people  flocked  forth  to 
take  leave  of  them  and  entrust  them  with  the  monies  and  the 
messages.     After  they  had  departed,  Zau  al-Makan  turned  to  the 
Wazir  Dandan  and  commanded  him  to  advance  with  the  army 
against  the  city-walls.     So  the  troops  pushed  forward,  but  found 
none  on  the  ramparts,  whereat  they  marvelled,  while  Zau  al-Makan 
\vas  troubled  at  the  case,  for  he  deeply  mourned  the  severance  from 
his  brother  Sharrkan  and  he  was  sore  perturbed  about  that  traitor 
the  Ascetic.     In  this  condition  they  abode  three  days  without  see- 
ing anyone.     So  far  concerning  the  Moslems ;  but  as  regards  the 
Greeks  and  the  cause  of  their  refusing  fight  during  these  three 
days  the  case  was  this.     As  soon  as  Zat  al-Dawahi  had  slain 
Sharrkan,  she  hastened  her  march  and  reached  the  walls  of  Con- 


A  If  Laylah  wa  Lay  la  h. 

stantinople,  where  she  called  out  in  the  Greek  tongue  to  the  guards 
to  throw  her  down  a  rope.  Quoth  they,  "  Who  art  thou  ?  ";  and 
quoth  she,  "  I  am  Zat  al-Dawahi."  They  knew  her  and  let  down 
a  cord  to  which  she  tied  herself  and  they  drew  her  up ;  and,  when 
inside  the  city,  she  went  in  to  the  King  Afridun  and  said  to  him, 
"  What  is  this  I  hear  from  the  Moslems  ?  They  say  that  my  son 
King  Hardub  is  slain."  He  answered,  "  Yes  ; "  and  she  shrieked 
out  and  wept  right  grievously  and  ceased  not  weeping  thus  till 
she  made  Afridun  and  all  who  were  present  weep  with  her.  Then 
she  told  the  King  how  she  had  slain  Sharrkan  and  thirty  of  his 
servants,  whereat  he  rejoiced  and  thanked  her ;  and,  kissing  her 
hands,  exhorted  her  to  resignation  for  the  loss  of  her  son.  Said 
she,  "  By  the  truth  of  the  Messiah,  I  will  not  rest  content  with 
killing  that  dog  of  the  Moslem  dogs  in  blood-revenge  for  my  son, 
a  King  of  the  Kings  of  the  age  !  Now  there  is  no  help  for  it  but 
that  I  work  some  guile  and  I  contrive  a  wile  whereby  to  slay  the 
Sultan  Zau  al-Makan  and  the  Wazir  Dandan  and  the  Chamberlain 
and  Rustam  and  Bahram  and  ten  thousand  cavaliers  of  the  army 
of  Al-Islam ;  for  it  shall  never  be  said  that  my  son's  head  be  paid 
with  the  bloodwit  of  Sharrkan's  head  ;  no,  never !  "  Then  said 
she  to  King  Afridun,  "  Know,  O  King  of  the  Age,  that  it  is  my 
wish  to  set  forth  mourning  for  my  son  and  to  cut  my  Girdle  and 
to  break  the  Crosses."  Replied  Afridun,  "  Do  what  thou  desire  ; 
I  will  not  gainsay  thee  in.  aught.  And  if  thou  prolong  thy  mourn- 
ing for  many  days  it  were  a  little  thing ;  for  though  the  Moslems 
resolve  to  beleaguer  us  years  and  years,  they  will  never  win  their 
will  of  us  nor  gain  aught  of  us  save  trouble  and  weariness." 
Then  the  Accursed  One  (when  she  had  ended  with  the  calamity 
she  had  wrought  and  the  ignominies  which  in  herself  she  had 
thought)  took  ink-case  and  paper  and  wrote  thereon : — "  From 
Shawahi,  Zat  al-Dawahi,  to  the  host  of  the  Moslems.  Know  ye 
that  I  entered  your  country  and  duped  by  my  cunning  your  nobles 
and  at  first  hand  I  slew  your  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  in  the 
midst  of  his  palace.  Moreover,  I  slew,  in  the  affair  of  the 
mountain-pass  and  of  the  cave,  many  of  your  men ;  and  the 
last  I  killed  were  Sharrkan  and  his  servants.  And  if  fortune 
do  not  stay  me  and  Satan  obey  me,  I  needs  must  slay  me 
your  Sultan  and  the  Wazir  Dandan,  for  I  am  she  who  came 
to  you  in  disguise  of  a  Recluse  and  who  heaped  upon  you 
my  devices  and  deceits.  Wherefore,  an  you  would  be  in  safety 
after  this,  fare  ye  forth  at  once  ;  and  if  you  seek  your  own 
destruction  cease  not  abiding  for  the  nonce ;  and  though  ye 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-Nu'uman  and  his  Sons.      279 

tarry  here  years  and  years,  ye  shall  not  do  your  desire  on  us. 
And  so  peace  be  yours!"  After  writing  her  writ  she  devoted 
three  days  to  mourning  for  King  Hardub ;  and,  on  the  fourth,  she 
called  a  Knight  and  bade  him  take  the  letter  and  make  it  fast  to 
a  shaft  and  shoot  it  into  the  Moslem  camp.  When  this  was  done, 
she  entered  the  church  and  gave  herself  up  to  weeping  and  wailing 
for  the  loss  of  her  son,  saying  to  him  who  took  the  kingship  after 
him,  "  Nothing  will  serve  me  but  I  must  kill  Zau  al-Makan  and  all 
the  nobles  of  Al-Islam."  Such  was  the  case  with  her ;  but  as  regards 
what  occurred  to  the  Moslems,  all  passed  three  days  in  trouble 
and  anxiety,  and  on  the  fourth  when  gazing  at  the  walls  behold, 
they  saw  a  knight  holding  a  bow  and  about  to  shoot  an  arrow 
along  whose  side  a  letter  was  bound.  So  they  waited  till  he  had 
shot  it  among  them  and  the  Sultan  bade  the  Wazir  Dandan  take 
the  missive  and  read  it.  He  perused  it  accordingly ;  and,  when 
Zau  al-Makan  heard  it  to  end  and  understood  its  purport,  his  eyes 
filled  with  tears  and  he  shrieked  for  agony  at  her  perfidy ;  and  the 
Minister  Dandan  said,  "By  Allah,  my  heart  shrank  from  her!" 
Quoth  the  Sultan,  "  How  could  this  whore  play  her  tricks  upon  us 
twice  ?  But  by  the  Almighty  I  will  not  depart  hence  till  I  fill  her 
cleft  with  molten  lead  and  jail  her  with  the  jailing  of  a  bird 
encaged,  then  bind  her  with  her  own  hair  and  crucify  her  over  the 
gate  of  Constantinople."  And  he  called  to  mind  his  brother  and 
wept  with  excessive  weeping.  But  when  Zat  al-Dawahi  arrived 
amongst  the  Infidels  and  related  to  them  her  adventures  at  length, 
they  rejoiced  at  her  safety  and  at  the  slaying  of  Sharrkan.  There- 
upon the  Moslems  addressed  themselves  again  to  the  siege  of  the 
city  and  the  Sultan  promised  his  men  that,  if  it  should  be  taken, 
he  would  divide  its  treasures  among  them  in  equal  parts.  But  he 
dried  not  his  tears  grieving  for  his  brother  till  his  body  was  wasted 
and  sick,  growing  thin  as  a  tooth- pick.  Presently  the  Wazir 
Dandan  came  in  to  him  and  said,  "  Be  of  good  cheer  and  keep 
thine  eyes  cool  and  clear ;  in  very  sooth  thy  brother  died  not  but 
because  his  hour  was  come,  and  there  is  no  profit  in  this  mourning 
How  well  saith  the  poet : — 

Whatso  is  not  to  be  no  sleight  shall  bring  to  pass ;  o  What  is  to  be  without  a 

failure  shall  become ; 
Soon  the  becoming  fortune  shall  be  found  to  be,  o  And  Folly's  brother '  shall 

abide  forlorn  and  glum. 


*•  An  idiom  meaning  "a  very  fool.' 


280  "  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

Wherefore  do  thou  leave  this  weeping  and  wailing  and  hearten 
thy  heart  to  bear  arms."  He  replied,"  O  Wazir,  my  heart  is  heavy 
for  the  death  of  my  father  and  my  brother  and  for  our  absence 
from  hearth  and  home ;  and  my  mind  is  concerned  for  my  sub- 
jects." Thereupon  the  Wazir  and  the  bystanders  wept ;  but  they 
ceased  not  from  pushing  forward  the  siege  of  Constantinople  for 
a  length  of  days.  And  they  being  thus,  behold,  news  arrived  from 
Baghdad,  by  one  of  the  Emirs  to  the  effect  that  the  King's  wife 
had  been  blessed  with  a  boy,  and  that  his  sister,  Nuzhat  al-Zaman, 
had  named  him  Kanmakan.1  Moreover,  that  the  boy  bid  fair  to 
be  famous,  already  showing  wondrous  signs  and  marvellous  tokens  ; 
and  that  she  had  commanded  the  Olema  and  the  preachers  to 
pray  for  mother  and  child  from  the  pulpits  and  bless  them  in  all 
wise;  furthermore  that  the  twain  were  well,  that  the  land  had 
enjoyed  abundant  rains,  and  that  his  comrade  the  Fireman  was 
established  in  all  prosperity,  with  eunuchs  and  slaves  to  wait  upon 
him ;  but  that  he  was  still  ignorant  of  what  had  befallen  him. 
And  she  ended  with  the  greeting  of  peace.  Then  quoth  Zau 
al-Makan  to  the  Wazir  Dandan,  "Now  is  my  back  strengthened 
for  that  I  have  been  blest  with  a  son  whose  name  is  Kanmakan." 

And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying 

her  permitted  say. 


Nofo  fo&m  it  foas  rt)c 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  they 
brought  him  the  news  of  his  wife  having  borne  him  a  boy  child, 
Zau  al-Makan  rejoiced  with  great  joy  and  cried,  "  Now  is  my  back 
strengthened,  for  that  I  have  been  blessed  with  a  son2  whose 
name  is  Kanmakan."  And  he  spake  to  the  Wazir  Dandan,  saying, 
"  I  am  minded  to  leave  this  mourning  and  order  perlections  of  the 
Koran  for  my  brother  and  command  almsdeeds  on  his  account." 
Quoth  the  Wazir,  "  Thy  design  is  good."  Thereupon  he  caused 
tents  to  be  pitched  over  his  brother's  tomb;  so  they  raised  them 
and  gathered  together  such  of  the  men-at-arms  as  could  repeat  the 
Koran  ;  and  some  began  reciting  the  Holy  volume ;  whilst  others 
chanted  litanies  containing  the  names  of  Allah,  and  thus  they 

1  i.e.  Kdna  (was)  ma  (that  which)  was  (krina). 
*  A  son  being  "  the  lamp  of  a  dark  house." 


Tale  of  King  Omar  bin  al-NiSuman  and  his  Sons.       281 

did  till  the  morning.  Then  Zau  al-Makan  went  up  to  the  grave 
of  his  brother  Sharrkan  and  poured  forth  copious  tears,  and  impro- 
vised these  couplets  : — 

They  bore  him  bier'd,  and  all  who  followed  wept      o  With  Moses1  shrieks 

what  day  o'erhead  shook  Tor  ;  * 
Till  reached  the  grave  which  Fate  had  made  his  home,  o  Dug  in   men's  souls 

who  one  sole  God  adore  : 
Ne'er  had  I  thought  before  to  see  my  joy  «  Borne    on    the   bier 

which  heads  of  bearers  bore  : 
Ah  no !   nor  ere  they  homed  thee  in  the  dust  o  That  stars  of  heaven 

earth  ever  covered  o'er. 
Is  the  tomb-dweller  hostage  of  a  stead,  «  Where      light     and 

splendour  o'er  thy  face  shall  pour  ? 
Praise  to  restore  his  life  her  word  hath  pledged :       o  Cribbed  and  confined 

he  shall  dispread  the  more ! 

When  Zau  al-Makan  had  made  an  end  of  his  versifying  he  wept 
and  wept  with  him  all  the  troops ;  then  he  came  to  the  grave  and 
threw  himself  upon  it  wild  with  woe,  and  the  Wazir  repeated  the 
words  of  the  poet : — 

Fain  leaving  life  that  fleets  thou  hast  th'  eternal  won  ;  o  Thou  didst  as  whilom 

many  a  doer  like  thee  hath  done  ; 
Leftest  this  worldly  house  without  reproach  or  blame  ;  o  Ah,  may  th'  exchange 

secure  thee  every  benison  ! 
Thou  wast  from  hostile  onset  shield  and  firm  defence,  o  For  us  to  baffle  shafts 

and  whistling  spears  to  shun. 
1  see  this  world  is  only  cheat  and  vanity,  o  Where    man     naught 

else  must  seek  but  please  the  Truthful  One  : 
Th'  Empyrean's  Lord  allow  thee  bower  of  heavenly  bliss,  o  And   wi'  thy    faithful 

friends  The  Guide  show  goodly  wone  : 
I  bid  thee  last  good  e'en  with  sigh  of  bitter  grief,         o  Seeing    the  West    in 

woe  for  lack  of  Easting  Sun. 

When  the  Wazir  Dandan  had  finished  his  reciting,  he  wept  with 
sore  weeping  and  the  tears  rained  from  his  eyes  like  cushioned 


1  When  the  Israelites  refused  to  receive  the  Law  (the  souls  of  all  the  Prophets  even 
those  unborn  being  present  at  the  Covenant),  Allah  tore  up  the  mountain  (Sinai  which  is 
not  mentioned)  by  the  roots  and  shook  it  over  their  heads  to  terrify  them,  saying, 
"Receive  the  Law  which  we  have  given  you  with  a  resolution  to  keep  it"  (Koran 
chapt.  xlx.  170)  Much  of  this  story  is  from  the  Talmud  (Abodah  Sar.  2,  2,  Tract 
Sabbath,  etc.)  whence  Al-Islnm  borrowed  so  much  of  its  Judaism,  as  it  took  Christianity 
from  the  Apocryphal  New  Testament.  This  tradition  is  still  held  by  the  Israelites,  says 
Mr.  Rodwell  (p.  333)  who  refers  it  to  a  misunderstanding  of  Exod.  xix.  17,  rightly 
rendered  in  the  £.  version  "  at  the  nether  part  of  ihe  mountain.1' 


282      •'  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

pearls.  Then  came  forward  one  who  had  been  of  Sharrkan's 
boon-companions  in  his  cups  and  he  wept  till  ran  in  rills  the 
drops,  and  he  enumerated  the  dead  man's  generous  qualities, 
reciting  the  following  pentastichs  : — 

Where  gone  is  Bounty  since  thy  hand  is  turned  to  clay  ?  o  And  I  in  misery 

lie  since  thou  wast  ta'en  away. 
See'st  not,  O  litter-guide1  (Heaven  keep  thee  glad  and  gay!),  o  How  tears 

adorn  my  cheeks,  these  furrowed  wrinkles  fray  ? 

A  sight  to  joy  thine  eyes  and  fill  thee  with  dismay.2 
By  Allah  ne'er  this  heart  within  I  spoke  of  thee ;  o  Ah  no  !  nor  dared  my  sight 

to  see  thy  brilliancy  : 
Save  that  my  tear-drops  sorest  wound  have  garred  me  dree  o  Yea !  and  if  e'er 

on  other  rest  these  eyne  of  me, 

May  yearning  draw  their  reins  nor  suffer  sleep  to  see. 

And  when  the  man  stinted  reciting,  Zau  al-Makan  and  the 
Minister  Dandan  wept  and  the  whole  army  was  moved  to  tears ; 
after  which  all  retired  to  their  tents,  and  the  King  turning  to  the 
Wazir  took  counsel  with  him  concerning  the  conduct  of  the  cam- 
paign. On  this  wise  the  two  passed  days  and  nights,  while  Zau 
al-Makan  was  weighed  down  with  grief  and  mourning  till  at  last  he 
said,  "  I  long  to  hear  stories  and  adventures  of  Kings  and  tales  of 
lover-folk  enslaved  by  love ;  haply  Allah  may  make  this  to  solace 
that  which  is  on  my  heart  of  heavy  anxiety,  and  stint  and  stay  my 
weeping  and  wailing."  Quoth  the  Wazir,  "  If  naught  can  dispel  thy 
trouble  but  hearing  curious  tales  of  Kings  and  people  long  gone 
before  and  stories  of  folk  enslaved  by  love  of  yore,  and  so  forth,  this 
thing  were  easy,  for  I  had  no  other  business,  in  the  lifetime  of  thy 
father  (who  hath  found  mercy)  than  to  relate  stories  and  to  repeat 
verses  to  him.  This  very  night  I  will  tell  thee  a  tale  of  a  lover  and 
his  beloved,  so  shall  thy  breast  be  broadened."  When  Zau  al- 
Makan  heard  these  words  from  the  Minister,  his  heart  was  set  upon 
that  which  had  been  promised  to  him  and  he  did  nothing  but  watch 
for  the  coming  of  the  night,  that  he  might  hear  what  the  Wazir 
Dandan  had  to  tell  of  the  Kings  of  yore  and  distracted  lovers  long 
gone  before.  And  hardly  would  he  believe  that  night  had  fallen 
ere  he  bade  light  the  wax-candles  and  the  lamps  and  bring  all  that 
was  needful  of  meat  and  drink  and  perfume-gear,  and  what  not ; 


1  Arab.  "  Azgh£n  "  =  the  camel-litters  in  which  women  travel. 

2  t.e.  to  ioy  foes  and  dismay  friends. 


Tale  of  Tdj  al-Muluk  and  the  Princess  Dunyd.          283 

and  when  all  was  in  presence,  he  summoned  the  Wazir  Dandan, 
and  the  Emirs  Rustam  and  Bahram  and  Tarkash  and  the  Grand 
Chamberlain  ;  then  waited  till  the  whole  party  was  seated  before 
him  ;  whereupon  he  turned  to  the  Minister  and  said,  "  Know,  O 
Wazir,  that  night  is  come  and  hath  let  down  over  us  its  veil  of 
gloom,  and  we  desire  that  thou  tell  us  those  tales  which  thou 
promisedst  us."  Replied  the  Wazir,  "  With  joy  and  good  will."-  -» 
And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her; 
permitted  say. 


Jioto  tofjen  it  toas  tfje 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  King 
Zau  al-Makan  summoned  the  Wazir  and  the  Chamberlain  and 
Rustam  and  Bahram,  he  turned  towards  the  Minister  Dandan  and 
said,  "  Know,  O  Wazir,  that  night  is  come  and  hath  let  down  over 
us  its  veil  of  gloom,  and  we  desire  that  thou  tell  us  those  tales 
which  thou  promisedst  us."  Replied  the  Wazir : — With  love  and 
gladness !  Know,  O  auspicious  King,  that  there  reached  my  ears 
a  relation  of  a  lover  and  a  loved  one  and  of  the  discourse  between 
them  and  what  befel  them  of  things  rare  and  fair,  a  story  such  as 
repelleth  care  from  the  heart  and  dispelleth  sorrow  like  unto  that 
of  the  patriarch  Jacob ! ;  and  it  is  as  follows  : — 


TALE  OF  TAJ  AL-MULUK  AND  THE  PRINCESS  DUNYA : 
THE  LOVER  AND  THE  LOVED. 

THERE  stood  in  times  long  gone  by  behind  the  Mountains  of 
Ispahan,  a  city  hight  the  Green  City,  wherein  dwelt  a  King  named 
Sulayman  Shah.  Now  he  was  a  man  of  liberality  and  beneficence, 
of  justice  and  integrity,  of  generosity  and  sincerity,  to  whom 
travellers  repaired  from  every  country,  and  his  name  was  noised 
abroad  in  all  regions  and  cities  and  he  reigned  many  a  year  in 
high  worship  and  prosperity,  save  that  he  owned  neither  wives  nor 


1  Whose  eyes  became  white  (i.e.  went  blind)  with  mourning  for  his  son  Joseph  (Koran, 
chapt.  xii.  84).  He  recovered  his  sight  when  his  face  was  covered  with  the  shirt  which, 
Gabriel  had  given  to  the  youth  after  his  brethren  had  thrown  him  into  the  well. 


284  A  If  Laylak  wa  Laylak. 

children.     He  had  a  Minister  who  rivalled  him  in  goodness  and 
generosity  and  it  so  happened  that  one  day,  he  sent  for  him  and 
when  he  came  into  the  presence  said  to  him,  "  O  my  Wazir,  my 
heart  is  heavy  and  my  patience  is  past  and  my  force  faileth  me,  for 
that  I  have  neither  wife  nor  child.     This  is  not  the  way  of  Kings 
who  rule  over  all  men,  princes  and  paupers ;   for  they  rejoice  in 
leaving  behind  them  children  and  successors  whereby  are  doubled 
their  number  and  their  strength.     Quoth  the  Prophet  (whom  Allah 
bless  and  keep !) : — Marry  ye,  increase  ye,  and  multiply  ye,  that  I 
may  boast  me  of  your  superiority  over  the  nations  on  the  Day  of 
Resurrection.     So  what  is  thy  rede,  O  Wazir  ?    Advise  me  of  what 
course  and  contrivance  be  advisable ! "    When  the  Minister  heard 
these  words,  the  tears  sprang  from  his  eyes  in  streams,  and  he  re- 
plied, "  Far  be  it  from  me,  O  King  of  the  Age,  that  I  debate  on  that 
which  appertained  to  the  Compassionate  One !  Wilt  thou  have  me 
cast  into  the  fire  by  the  All-powerful  King's  wrath  and  ire  ?    Buy 
thee  a  concubine."     Rejoined  the  King,  "Know,  .O  Wazir,  that 
when  a  sovereign  buyeth  a  female  slave,  he  knoweth  neither  her 
rank  nor  her  lineage  and  thus  he  cannot  tell  if  she  be  of  simple 
origin  that  he  may  abstain  from  her,  or  of  gentle  strain  that  he  may 
be  intimate  in  her  companionship.     So,  if  he  have  commerce  with 
her,  haply  she  will  conceive  by  him  and  her  son  be  a  hypocrite,  a 
man  of  wrath  and  a  shedder  of  blood.    Indeed  the  like  of  such  wo- 
man may  be  instanced  by  a  salt  and  marshy  soil,  which  if  one  till 
for  ever  it  yieldeth  only  worthless  growth  and  no  endurance  showeth ; 
for  it  may  be  that  her  son  will  be  obnoxious  to  his  Lord's  anger, 
doing  not  what  He  biddeth  him  or  abstaining  from  what  He  for- 
biddeth  him.     Wherefore  will  I  never  become  the  cause  of  this 
through  the  purchase  of  a  concubine  ;  and  it  is  my  desire  that  thou 
demand  for  me  in  marriage  the  daughter  of  some  one  of  the  Kings, 
whose  lineage  is  known  and  whose  loveliness  hath  renown.   If  thou 
can  direct  me  to  some  maiden  of  birth  and  piety  of  the  daughters  of 
Moslem  Sovranty,  I  will  ask  her  in  marriage  and  wed  her  in  pre- 
sence of  witnesses,  so  may  accrue  to  me  the  favour  of  the  Lord  of 
all  Creatures."     Said  the  Wazir,  "  O  King,  verily  Allah  hath  ful- 
filled thy  wish  and  hath  brought  thee  to  thy  desire;"  presently 
adding,  "  Know,  O  King,  it  hath  come  to  my  knowledge  that  King 
Zahr  Shah,1  Lord  of  the  White  Land,  hath  a  daughter  of  surpassing 


"  Poison  King"  (Persian) ;  or  "  Flower-King"  (Arabic). 


Tale  of  Tdj  al-Muluk  and  the  Princess  Dunyd*         285 

loveliness  whose  charms  talk  and  tale  fail  to  express :  she  hath  not 
her  equal  in  this  age,  for  she  is  perfect  in  proportion  and  symmetry, 
black  eyed  as  if  Kohl-dyed  and  long  locked,  wee  of  waist  and  heavy 
of  hip.  When  she  draweth  nigh  she  seduceth  and  when  she  turneth 
her  back *  she  slayeth ;  she  ravisheth  heart  and  view  and  she  looketh 
even  as  saith  of  her  the  poet :: — 

A  thin-waist  maid  who  shames  the  willow-wand  ;  o  Nor  sun  nor  moon  can  like 

her  rising  shine  : 
Tis  as  her  honey-dew  of  lips  were  blent         o  With  wine,  and  pearls  of 

teeth  were  bathed  in  wine : 
Her  form,  like  heavenly  Houri's,  graceful  slim ;  o  Fair  face  ;  and  ruin  dealt 

by  glancing  eyne  : 
How  many  a  dead-done  man  her  eyes  have  slain  o  Upon  her  way  of  love  in 

ruin  li'en : 
An  live    I   she's  my  death !     Ill  say  no  more  o  But  dying  without  her  vain 

were  life  of  mine. 

Now  when  the  Wazir  had  made  an  end  of  describing  that  maiden, 
he  said  to  King  Zahr  Shah,  "  It  is  my  counsel,  O  King,  that  thou 
despatch  to  her  father  an  ambassador,  sagacious,  experienced  and 
trained  in  the  ways  of  the  world,  who  shall  courteously  demand  her 
in  marriage  for  thee  of  her  sire ;  for  in  good  sooth  she  hath  not  her 
equal  in  the  far  parts  of  the  world  nor  in  the  near.  So  shalt  thou 
enjoy  her  lovely  face  in  the  way  of  grace,  and  the  Lord  of  Glory  be 
content  with  thy  case ;  for  it  is  reported  of  the  Prophet  (whom  Allah 
bless  and  preserve  !)  that  he  said,  "  There  be  no  monkery  in  Al- 
Islam."  At  this  the  King  was  transported  to  perfect  joy  ;  his  breast 
was  broadened  and  lightened  ;  care  and  cark  ceased  from  him  and 
he  turned  to  the  Wazir  and  said,  <f  Know  thou,  O  Minister,  that 
none  shall  fare  about  this  affair  save  thou,  by  reason  of  thy  con- 
summate intelligence  and  good  breeding  ;  wherefore  hie  thee  home 
and  do  all  thou  hast  to  do  and  get  thee  ready  by  the  morrow  and 
depart  and  demand  me  in  marriage  this  maiden,  with  whom  thou 
hast  occupied  my  heart  and  thought ;  and  return  not  to  me  but  with 
her."  Replied  the  Wazir,  « I  hear  and  I  obey."  Then  he  hied  to 
his  own  house  and  bade  make  ready  presents  befitting  Kings,  of 
precious  stones  and  things  of  price  and  other  matters  light  of  load 
but  weighty  of  worth,  besides  Rabite  steeds  and  coats  of  mail,  such 


1  A  delicate  allusion  to  the  size  of  her  hips  and  back  parts,  in  which  volume  is,  I  have 
tid,  greatly  admired  for  the  best  of  reasons. 


286  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

as  David  made1  and  chests  of  treasure  for  which  speech  hath  no 
measure.  And  the  Wazir  loaded  the  whole  on  camels  and  mules, 
and  set  out  attended  by  an  hundred  slave-girls  with  flags  and  ban- 
ners flaunting  over  his  head.  The  King  charged  him  to  return  to 
him  after  a  few  days ;  and,  when  he  was  gone,  Sulayman  Shah  lay 
on  coals  of  fire,  engrossed  night  and  day  with  desire;  while  the  envoy 
fared  on  without  ceasing  through  gloom  and  light,  spanning  fertile 
field  and  desert  site,  till  but  a  day's  march  remained  between  him 
and  the  city  whereto  he  was  bound.  Here  he  sat  him  down  on  the 
banks  of  a  river  and,  summoning  one  of  his  confidants,  bade  him 
wend  his  way  to  King  Zahr  Shah  and  announce  his  approach  with- 
out delay.  Quoth  the  messenger, "  I  hear  and  I  obey !"  And  he  rode 
on  in  haste  to  that  city  and,  as  he  was  about  to  enter  therein,  it  so 
chanced  that  the  King,  who  was  sitting  in  one  of  his  pleasaunces 
before  the  city-gate,  espied  him  as  he  was  passing  the  doors,  and 
knowing  him  for  a  stranger,  bade  bring  him  before  the  presence. 
So  the  messenger  coming  forward  informed  him  of  the  approach  of 
the  Wazir  of  the  mighty  King  Sulayman  Shah,  Lord  of  the  Green 
Land  and  of  the  Mountains  of  Ispahan  :  whereat.  King  Zahr  Shah 
rejoiced  and  welcomed  him.  Then  he  carried  him  to  his  palace  and 
asked  him,  "Where  leavedst  thou  the  Wazir?"  ;  and  he  answered, 
"  I  left  him  in  early  day  on  the  banks  of  such  a  river  and  to-morrow 
he  will  reach  thee,  Allah  continue  his  favours  to  thee  and  have  mercy 
upon  thy  parents !  "  Thereupon  King  Zahr  Shah  commanded  one 
of  his  Wazirs  to  take  the  better  part  of  his  Grandees  and  Chamber- 
lains and  Lieutenants  and  Lords  of  the  land,  and  go  out  to  meet 
the  ambassador  in  honour  of  King  Sulayman  Shah ;  for  that  his 
dominion  extended  over  the  country.  Such  was  the  case  with  Zahr 
Shah ;  but  as  regards  the  Wazir  he  abode  in  his  stead  till  night  was 
half  spent2  and  then  set  out  for  the  city ;  but  when  morning  shone 


1  All  Prophets  had  some  manual  trade  and  that  of  David  was  making  coats  of  mail, 
which  he  invented,  for  before  his  day  men  used  plate-armour.  So  "  Allah  softened  the 
iron  for  him  "  and  in  his  hands  it  became  like  wax  (Koran  xxi.  xxxiv.,  etc.)  Hence  a  good 
coat  of  mail  is  called  *'  Davidean."  I  have  noticed  (First  Footsteps,  p.  33  and  elsewhere) 
the  homage  paid  to  the  blacksmith  on  the  principle  which  made  Mulciber  (Malik  Kabir). 
a  god.  The  myth  of  David  inventing  mail  possibly  arose  from  his  peculiarly  fighting 
career.  Moslems  venerate  Daud  on  account  of  his  extraordinary  devotion;  nor  has  this 
view  of  his  character  ceased  :  a  modern  divine  preferred  him  to  "  all  characters  in  his- 
tory." 

*"  Travel  by  night,"  said  the  Prophet,  "when  the  plagues  of  earth  (scorpions,  ser- 
pents, etc.)  afflict  ye  not."  Yet  the  night-march  in  Arabia  is  detestable  (Pilgrimage  UL 


Tale  of  Tdj  al-Muluk  and  tJte  Princess  Dunyd.         287 

and  the  sun  rose  upon  hill  and  down,  of  a  sudden  he  saw  King  Zahr 
Shah's  Wazir  approaching  him,  with  his  Chamberlains  and  high 
Lords  and  Chief  Officers  of  the  kingdom ;  and  the  two  parties 
joined  company  at  some  parasangs'  distance  from  the  city.1  Thereat 
the  Wazir  made  sure  of  the  success  of  his  errand  and  saluted  the 
escort,  which  ceased  not  preceding  him  till  they  reached  the  King's 
palace  and  passed  in  before  him  through  the  gate  to  the  seventh 
vestibule,  a  place  where  none  might  enter  on  horseback,  for  it  was 
near  to  where  the  King  sat.  So  the  Minister  alighted  and  fared  on 
a-foot  till  he  came  to  a  lofty  saloon,  at  whose  upper  end  stood  a 
marble  couch,  set  with  pearls  and  stones  of  price,  and  having  for 
legs  four  elephant's  tusks.  Upon  it  was  a  coverlet  of  green  satin 
purfled  with  red  gold,  and  above  it  hung  a  canopy  adorned  with 
pearls  and  gems,  whereon  sat  King  Zahr  Shah,  whilst  his  officers  of 
state  stood  in  attendance  before  him.  When  the  Wazir  went  in  to 
him,  he  composed  his  mind  and,  unbinding  his  tongue,  displayed 
the  oratory  of  Wazirs  and  saluted  the  King  in  the  language  of 

eloquence And  Shahrazad   perceived   the  dawn  of  day  and 

ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


Xofo  fofjcn  ft  tons  if)c  ^untKcfc-antunQfiif)  Xid)t, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  when  the 
Wazir  of  King  Sulayman«Shah  entered  the  presence  of  King  Zahr 
Shah  he  composed  his  mind  and,  unbinding  his  tongue,  displayed 
the  oratory  of  Wazirs  and  saluted  the  King  in  the  language  of 
eloquence  and  improvised  these  couplets: — 

He  cometh  robed  and  bending  gracefully:         o  O'er  crop  and  cropper  dews 

of  grace  sheds  he  : 
He  charms ;  nor  characts,  spells  nor  gramarye    o  May  fend  the  glances  of 

those  eyne  from  thee : 
Say  to  the  blamer,   "  Blame  me  not,  for  I         o  From-    love    of    him    will 

never  turn  to  flee  "  : 
My  heart  hath  played  me  false  while  true  to  him,   o  And  Sleep,  in  love  with 

him,  abhorreth  me  : 


1  This  form  of  ceremony  is  called  "  Istikbal'*  (coming  forth  to  greet)  and  is  regulated 
by  the  severest  laws  of  etiquette.  As  a  rule  the  greater  the  distance  (which  may  be  a 
minimum  of  one  step)  the  higher  the  honour.  Easterns  infinitely  despise  strangers  wha 
Ignore  these  vitals  of  politeness. 


288  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

O  heart !  th'  art  not  the  sole  who  loveth  him,      o  So   bide  with  him  while 

I  desertion  dree  : 
There's  nought  to  joy  mine  ears  with  joyous  sound  o  Save  praise  of  King  Zahr 

Shah  in  jubilee  : 
A  King  albeit  thou  leave  thy  life  to  win  o  One  look,  that  look  were 

all-sufficiency: 
And  if  a  pious  prayer  thou  breathe  for  him,         o  Shall  join  all  Faithfuls  in 

such  pious  gree : 
Folk  of  his  realm  !    If  any  shirk  his  right  o  For  other  hoping,  gross 

Unfaith  I  see. 

When  the  Wazir  had  ended  his  poetry,  King  Zahr  Shah  bade  him 
draw  near  and  honoured  him  with  the  highmost  honours  ;  then, 
seating  him  by  his  own  side,  smiled  in  his  face  and  favoured  him 
with  a  gracious  reply.    They  ceased  not  on  this  wise  till  the  time 
of  the  under-meal  when  the  attendants  brought  forward  the  tables 
of  food  in  that  saloon  and  all  ate  till  they  were  sated  ;  after  which 
the  tables  were  removed  and  those  who  were  in  the  assembly 
withdrew,  leaving  only  the  chief  officers.     Now  when  the  Minister 
saw  this,  he  rose  to  his  feet  and,  after  complimenting  the  King  a 
second  time  and  kissing  the  ground  before  him,  spake  as  follows, 
"  O  mighty  King  and  dread  Lord  !    I  have  travelled  hither  and 
have  visited  thee  upon  a  matter  which  shall  bring  thee  peace, 
profit  and  prosperity  :   and  it  is  this,  that  I  come  as  ambassador 
to  thee,  seeking  in  marriage  thy  daughter,  the  noble  and  illus- 
trious maid,  from  Sulayman  Shah,  a  Prince  famed  for  justice  and 
integrity,  sincerity  and  generosity,  Lord  of  the  Green  Land  and 
of  the  Mountains  of  Ispahan,  who  sendeth  thee  of  presents  a  store, 
and  gifts  of  price  galore,  ardently  desiring  to  become  thy  son-in- 
law.     But  art  thou  inclined  to  him  as  he  to  thee  1"     He  then  kept 
silence,  awaiting  a  reply.      When  King  Zahr  Shah   heard  these 
words,  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  kissed  the  ground  respectfully 
before  the  Wazir,  while  the  bystanders  were  confounded  at  his 
condescension  to  the  ambassador  and  their  minds  were  amazed. 
Then  he  praised  Him  who  is  the  Lord  of  Honour  and  Glory  and 
replied  (and  he  still  standing),  "  O  mighty  Wazir  and  illustrious 
Chief;  hear  thou  what  I  say!    Of  a  truth  we  are  to  King  Sulay- 
man Shah  of  the  number  of  his  subjects,  and  we  shall  be  ennobled 
by  his  alliance  and  we  covet  it  ardently  ;    for  my  daughter  is  a 
handmaid  of  his  handmaidens,  and  it  is  my  dearest  desire  that  he 
may  become  my  stay  and  my  reliable  support."     Then  he  sum- 
moned the  Kazis  and  the  witnesses,  who  should  bear  testimony 


Tale  of  Taj  al-Muluk  and  tke  Princess  Dunyd.         289 

that  King  Sulayman  Shah  had  despatched  his  Wazir  as  proxy  to 
conclude  the  marriage,  and  that  King  Zahr  Shah  joyfully  acted 
and  officiated  for  his  daughter.  So  the  Kazis  concluded  the 
wedding-contract  and  offered  up  prayers  for  the  happiness  and 
prosperity  of  the  wedded  feres  ;  after  which  the  Wazir  arose  and, 
fetching  the  gifts  and  rarities  and  precious  things,  laid  them  all 
before  the  King.  Then  Zahr  Shah  occupied  himself  anent  the 
fitting  out  of  his  daughter  and  honourably  entertained  the  Wazir 
and  feasted  his  subjects  all,  great  and  small ;  and  for  two  months 
they  held  high  festival,  omitting  naught  that  could  rejoice  heart 
and  eye.  Now  when  all  things  needful  for  the  bride  were  ready, 
the  King  caused  the  tents  to  be  carried  out  and  they  pitched  the 
camp  within  sight  of  the  city,  where  they  packed  the  bride's  stuffs 
in  chests  and  gat  ready  the  Greek  handmaids  and  Turkish 
slave-girls,  and  provided  the  Princess  with  great  store  of  precious 
treasures  and  costly  jewels.  Then  he  had  made  for  her  a  litter 
of  red  gold,  inlaid  with  pearls  and  stones  of  price,  and  set  apart 
two  mules  to  carry  it ;  a  litter  which  was  like  one  of  the  chambers 
of  a  palace,  and  within  which  she  seemed  as  she  were  of  the  love- 
liest Houris  and  it  became  as  one  of  the  pavilions  of  Paradise, 
And  after  they  had  made  bales  of  the  treasures  and  monies,  and 
had  loaded  them  upon  the  mules  and  camels,  King  Zahr  Shah 
went  forth  with  her  for  a  distance  of  three  parasangs ;  after  which 
he  bade  farewell  to  her  and  the  Wazir  and  those  with  him,  and 
returned  to  his  home  in  gladness  and  safety.  Thereupon  the  Wazir, 
faring  with  the  King's  daughter,  pushed  on  and  ceased  not  his 

stages  over  desert  ways And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of 

day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


Xofo  inljcn  it  foas  tljc  fLjun&retenntemntfj  Xiafji, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  Wazir 
fared  on  with  the  King's  daughter  and  ceased  not  forcing  his  stages 
over  desert  ways  and  hastened  his  best  through  nights  and  days, 
till  there  remained  between  him  and  his  city  but  three  marches. 
Thereupon  he  sent  forward  to  King  Sulayman  Shah  one  who 
should  announce  the  coming  of  the  bride.  The  King  rejoiced 
thereat  and  bestowed  on  the  messenger  a  dress  of  honour;  and  bade 
his  troops  march  forth  in  grand  procession  to  meet  the  Princess 
VOL.  II.  T 


290  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

and  her  company  for  due  worship  and  honour,  and  don  their  richest 
apparel  with  banners  flying  over  their  heads.  And  his  orders  were 
obeyed.  He  also  commanded  to  cry  throughout  the  city  that  neither 
curtained  damsel  nor  honoured  lady  nor  time-ruptured  crone  should 
fail  to  fare  forth  and  meet  the  bride.  So  they  all  went  out  to 
greet  her  and  the  grandest  of  them  vied  in  doing  her  service  and 
they  agreed  to  bring  her  to  the  King's  palace  by  night.  Moreover, 
the  chief  officers  decided  to  decorate  the  road  and  to  stand  in 
espalier  of  double  line,  whilst  the  bride  should  pass  by  preceded  by 
her  eunuchs  and  serving-women  and  clad  in  the  gear  her  father  had 
given  her.  So  when  she  made  her  appearance,  the  troops  sur- 
rounded her,  these  of  the  right  wing  and  those  of  the  left,  and  the 
litter  ceased  not  advancing  with  her  till  she  approached  the  palace ; 
nor  remained  any  but  came  forth  to  gaze  upon  the  Princess. 
Drums  were  beaten  and  spears  were  brandished  and  horns  blared  and 
flags  fluttered  and  steeds  pranced  for  precedence  and  scents  shed 
fragrance  till  they  reached  the  Palace  gate  and  the  pages  entered 
with  the  litter  through  the  Harim-wicket  The  place  shone  with 
its  splendours  and  the  walls  glittered  for  the  glamour  of  its  gear. 
Now  when  night  came,  the  eunuchs  threw  open  the  doors  of  the 
bridal-chamber  and  stood  surrounding  the  chief  entrance  ;  where- 
upon the  bride  came  forward  and  amid  her  damsels  she  was  like 
the  moon  among  stars  or  an  union  shining  on  a  string  of  lesser 
pearls,  and  she  passed  into  the  bridal  closet  where  they  had  set 
for  her  a  couch  of  alabaster  inlaid  with  unions  and  jewels.  As  soon 
as  she  had  taken  seat  there,  the  King  came  in  to  her  and  Allah 
filled  his  heart  with  her  love  so  he  abated  her  maidenhead  and 
ceased  from  him  his  trouble  and  disquiet.  He  abode  with  her  well- 
nigh  a  month  but  she  had  conceived  by  him  the  first  night ;  and^ 
when  the  month  was  ended,  he  went  forth  and  sat  on  his  sofa  of 
state,  and  dispensed  justice  to  his  subjects,  till  the  months  of  her 
pregnancy  were  accomplished.  On  the  last  day  of  the  ninth  month, 
towards  day-break,  the  Queen  was  seized  with  the  pangs  of  labour  ; 
so  she  sat  down  on  the  stool  of  delivery  and  Allah  made  the  travail 
easy  to  her  and  she  gave  birth  to  a  boy  child,  on  whom  appeared 
auspicious  signs.  When  the  King  heard  of  this,  he  joyed  with  ex- 
ceeding joy  and  rewarded  the  bearer  of  the  good  tidings  with  much 
treasure  ;  and  of  his  gladness  he  went  in  to  the  child  and  kissed 
him  between  the  eyes  and  wondered  at  his  brilliant  loveliness ;  for 
in  him  was  approved  the  saying  of  the  poet : — 


Tale  of  Tdj  al-Muluk  and  the  Princess  Dunyd.         291 

In  the  towering  forts  Allah  throned  him  King,      o  A    lion,   a    star   in    the 

skies  of  reign  : 
At  his  rising  the  spear  and  the  throne  rejoiced,     o  The  gazelle,  the  ostrich, 

the  men  of  main  :! 
Mount  him  not  on  the  paps,  for  right  soon  he'll  show  o  That  to  throne  on  the 

war- steed's  loins  he's  fain  : 
And  wean  him  from  sucking  of  milk,  for  soon        o  A  sweeter  drink,  the  foe's 

blood,  he'll  drain. 

Then  the  mid  wives  took  the  newborn  child  and  cut  the  navel-cord 
and  darkened  his  eyelids  with  Kohl-powder2  and  named  him  Tdj 
al-Muluk  Khdrdn.3  He  was  suckled  at  the  breast  of  fond  indul- 
gence and  was  reared  in  the  lap  of  happy  fortune  ;  and  thus  his 
days  ceased  not  running  and  the  years  passing  by  till  he  reached 
the  age  of  seven.  Thereupon  Sulayman  Shah  summoned  the 
doctors  and  learned  men  and  bade  them  teach  his  son  writing  and 
science  and  belle-lettres.  This  they  continued  to  do  for  some 
years,  till  he  had  learnt  what  was  needful ;  and,  when  the  King  saw 
that  he  was  well  grounded  in  whatso  he  desired,  he  took  him  out  of 
the  teachers'  and  professors'  hands  and  engaged  for  him  a  skilful 
master,  who  taught  him  cavalarice  and  knightly  exercises  till  the 
boy  attained  the  age  of  fourteen ;  and  when  he  fared  abroad  on 
any  occasion,  all  who  saw  him  were  ravished  by  his  beauty  and1, 
made  him  the  subject  of  verse ;  and  even  pious  men  were  seduced 

by  his  brilliant  loveliness. And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn 

of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


JJofo  foljen  it  foas  tfje 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  That  when  Taj 
al-Muluk  Kharan,  son  of  Sulayman  Shah,  became  perfect  in  riding- 
craft  and  excelled  all  those  of  his  time,  his  excessive  beauty,  when 
he  fared  abroad  on  any  occasion,  caused  all  who  saw  him  to  be 
ravished  and  to  make  him  the  subject  of  verse  ;  and  even  pious 
men  were  seduced  by  his  brilliant  loveliness.  Quoth  the  poet  of 
him  : — 


1  i.e.  he  will  be  a  desert  Nimrod  and  the  game  will  delight  to  be  lulled  by  him. 

2  This  serves  to  keep  the  babe's  eyes  free  from  inflammation. 
*  i.e.  Crown  of  the  Kings  of  amorous  Blandishment. 


292  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

I  dipt  his  form  and  wax'd  drunk  with  his  scent,  e  Fair  branch  to  whom  Zephyr 

gave  nutriment : 
Nor  drunken  as  one  who  drinks  wine,  but  drunk  o  With  night-draught  his  lips 

of  the  honey-dew  lent : 
All  beauty  is  shown  in  the  all  of  him,  o  Hence  all  human  hearts  he 

in  hand  hath  hent : 
My  mind,  by  Allah  !   shall  ne'er  unmind  o  His  love,  while  I  wear  life's 

chains  till  spent : 
If  I  live,  in  his  love  I'll  live  ;  if  I  die  «  For  pine  and  longing,  '•  O  blest ! "   I'll 

cry. 

When  he  reached  the  eighteenth  year  of  his  age,  tender  down  l 
sprouted,  on  his  side-face  fresh  with  youth,  from  a  mole  upon  one 
rosy  cheek  and  a  second  beauty-spot,  like  a  grain  of  ambergris, 
adorned  the  other  ;  and  he  won  the  wits  and  eyes  of  every  wight 
who  looked  on  him,  even  as  saith  the  poet  : — 

He  is  Caliph  of  Beauty  in  Yusuf  s  lieu,  o    And  all  lovers  fear  when  they  sight 

his  grace  : 
Pause  and  gaze  with  me  ;  on  his  cheek  thou  It  sight  o  The  Caliphate's  banner 

of  sable  hue.2 

And  as  saith  another : — 

Thy  sight  hath  never  seen  a  fairer  sight,  •   Of  all  things  men  can  in 

the  world  espy, 
Than  yon  brown  mole,  that  studs  his  bonny  cheek  o    Of  rosy  red  beneath  that 

jet  black  eye. 

And  as  saith  another : — 

I  marvel  seeing  yon  mole  that  serves  his  cheeks*  bright  flame  o  Yet  burneth 
not  in  fire  albeit  Infidel3 ; 

I  wonder  eke  to  see  that  apostolic  glance,  e  Miracle-working,  though  it  work 
by  magic  spell : 

How  fresh  and  bright  the  down  that  decks  his  cheek,  and  yet  o  Bursten  gall- 
bladders feed  which  e'en  as  waters  well. 


1  Lane  (i.  531)  translates  "the  grey  down."    The  Arabs  use  "Akhzar" 
41  green  ")  in  many  senses,  fresh,  grey-hued,  etc. 

2  Allusion  to  the  well-known  black  banners  of  the  house  of  Abbas.    The  Persians 
describe  the  growth  of  hair  on  a  fair  young  face  by,  "  His  cheeks  went  into  mourning 
for  the  loss  of  their  charms." 

3  Arab.  "  Kdfir  "  a  Koranic  word  meaning  Infidel,  the  active  participle  of  Kufr  = 
Infidelity  i.e.  rejecting  the  mission  of  Mohammed.     It  is  insulting  and  in  Turkish  has 
been  degraded  to  "  Giaour."     Here  it  means  black,  as  Hafiz  of  Shiraz  terms  a  cheek- 
mole  "Hindu"  i.e.  dark-skinned  and  idolatrous. 


Tale  cf  Tdj  al-Muluk  and  the  Princess  Dunyd.  293 

And  as  saith  another  : — 

I  marvel  hearing  people  questioning  of   o  The  Fount  of  Life  and  in    what 

land  'tis  found  : 
I  see  it  sprung  from  lips  of  dainty  fawn,    o   Sweet    rosy    mouth    with    green 

mustachio  down'd  : 
And  wondrous  wonder  'tis  when  Moses  viewed    o  That  Fount,  he  rested  not 

from  weary  round.1 

Now  having  developed  such  beauty,  when  he  came  to  man's  estate 
his  loveliness  increased,  and  it  won  for  him  many  comrades  and 
intimates ;  while  every  one  who  drew  near  to  him  wished  that 
Taj  al-Muluk  Kharan  might  become  Sultan  after  his  father's  death, 
and  that  he  himself  might  be  one  of  his  Emirs.  Then  took  he 
passionately  to  chasing  and  hunting  which  he  would  hardly  leave 
for  a  single  hour.  His  father,  King  Sulayman  Shah,  would  have 
forbidden  him  the  pursuit  fearing  for  him  the  perils  of  the  waste  and 
the  wild  beasts  ;  but  he  paid  no  heed  to  his  warning  voice.  And 
it  so  chanced  that  once  upon  a  time  he  said  to  his  attendants 
"  Take  ye  ten  days  food  and  forage  ; "  and,  when  they  obeyed  his 
bidding,  he  set  out  with  his  suite  for  sport  and  disport.  They 
rode  on  into  the  desert  and  ceased  not  riding  four  days,  till 
they  came  to  a  place  where  the  ground  was  green,  and  they  saw 
in  it  wild  beasts  grazing  and  trees  with  ripe  fruit  growing  and 
springs  flowing.  Quoth  Taj  al-Muluk  to  his  followers, "  Set  up 
the  nets  here  and  peg  them  in  a  wide  ring  and  let  our  trysting 
place  be  at  the  mouth  of  the  fence,  in  such  a  spot."  So  they 
obeyed  his  words  and  staked  out  a  wide  circle  with  toils  ;  and 
there  gathered  together  a  mighty  matter  of  all  kinds  of  wild  beasts 
and  gazelles,  which  cried  out  for  fear  of  the  men  and  threw  them- 
selves for  fright  in  the  face  of  the  horses.  Then  they  loosed  on 
to  them  the  hounds  and  lynxes  2  and  hawks  ;8  and  they  shot  the 
quarry  down  with  shafts  which  pierced  their  vitals  ;  and,  by  the 


1  Alluding  to  the  travel  of  Moses  (Koran  chapt.  xviii.)  wilh  Al-Khizr  (the  "evergreen 
Prophet  ")  who  had  drunk  of  the  Fountain  of  Life  and  enjoyed  flourishing  and  continual 
youth.     Moses  is  represented  as  the  external  and  superficial  religionist  ;  the  man  of  out- 
sight  ;  Al-Khizr  as  the  spiritual  and  illuminated  man  of  insight 

2  The  lynx  was  used  like  the  lion  in  Ancient  Egypt  and  the  Chita-leopard  in  India  :  I 
have  never  seen  or  heard  of  it  in  these  days. 

3  Arab.  "Sukur,"  whence  our  "  Saker  "  the  falcon,  not  to  be  confounded  with  the 
old   Falco  Sacer,  the  Gr.  u'pa£.    Falconry  which,  like  all  arts,  began  in  Egypt,  is  an 
extensive  subject  throughout  Moslem  lands.    I  must  refer  my  readers  to  "  Falconry  in  the 
Valley  of  the  Indus  "  (Van  Voorst,  1852)  and  a  long  note  in  Pilgrimage  iii.  71. 


294  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

time  they  came  to   the   further   end    of  the   net-ring,  they   had' 
taken  a  great  number  of  the  wild  beasts,  and  the  rest  fled.     Then 
Taj  al-Muluk  dismounted  by  the  water-side  and  bade  the  game  be 
brought  before  himself,  and  divided  it,  after  he  had  set  apart  the 
best  of  the  beasts   for  his   father,   King    Sulayman  Shah,    and 
despatched  the  game  to  him  ;  and  some  he  distributed  among  the 
officers  of  his  court.     He  passed  the.  night  in  that  place,  and  when 
morning  dawned  there  came  up  a  caravan  of  merchants  conveying 
negro  slaves  and  white  servants,  and  halted  by  the  water  and  the 
green  ground.     When  Taj   al-Muluk  saw  them,  he  said  to  one 
of  his  companions,  "  Bring  me  news  of  yonder  men  and  question 
them  why  they  have  halted  in   this   place.1      So   the   messenger 
went  up  to  them  and  addressed  them,  "  Tell  me  who  ye  be,  and 
answer  me  an  answer  without  delay."      Replied  they,  "  We    are 
merchants  and  have  halted  to  rest,  for  that  the  next  station  is 
distant  and  we  abide  here  -because  we  have  confidence  in  King 
Sulayman  Shah  and  his  son,  Taj  al-Muluk,  and  we  know  that 
all  who  alight  in  his  dominions  are  in  peace  and  safety ;  more- 
over we  have  with  us  precious  stuffs  which  we  have  brought  for  the 
Prince."    So  the  messenger  returned  and  told  these  news  to  the 
King's   son    who,   hearing   the  state  of  the  case  and  what  the 
merchants  had  replied,  said,  "  If  they  have  brought  stuff  on  my 
account  I  will  not  enter  the  city  nor  depart  hence  till  I  see  it 
shown  to  me."    Then  he  mounted  horse  and  rode  to  the  caravan 
and  his  Mamelukes  followed  him  till  he  reached  it.     Thereupon 
the  merchants  rose  to  receive  him  and  invoked  on  him  Divine  aid 
and  favour   with    continuance  of  glory  and  virtues  ;   after  which 
they  pitched  him  a  pavilion  of  red  satin,  embroidered  with  pearls 
and  jewels,  wherein  they  spread  him  a  kingly  divan  upon  a  silken 
carpet  worked    at   the  upper   end   with   emeralds   set    in    gold. 
There  Taj   al-Muluk   seated    himself  whilst    his   white   servants 
stood  in  attendance  upon  him,  and  sent  to  bid   the  merchants 
bring  out  all  that  they  had  with  them.     Accordingly,  they  pro- 
duced their  merchandise,  and  displayed  the  whole  and  he  viewed 
it  and  took  of  it  what  liked  him,  paying  them  the  price.    Then 
he  looked  about  him  at  the  caravan,  and  remounted    and   was 
about  to  ride  onwards,  when  his  glance  fell  on  a  handsome  youth 
in  fair  attire,  and    of    comely    and    shapely  make,   with  flower- 
white  brow  and  moon-like  face,  save  that  his  beauty  was  wasted 

1  Jl  was  not  respectful  to  pitch  their  camp  within  dog -bark. 


Tale  of  Taj  al-Muluk  and  the  Princess  Dunyd.          295 

and  that  yellow  hues  had  overspread  his  cheeks  by  reason  of 
parting  from  those  he  loved  ;  --  And  Shahrazad  perceived  the 
dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


Nofo  tofjen  t't  teas  t&e  pjuntonteantedebmtf)  Nt'gfrt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  Taj 
al-Muluk,  when  he  looked  about  him  at  the  caravan,  saw  a  hand- 
some youth  in  neat  attire  and  of  shapely  make,  with  flower-like 
forehead  and  moon-like  face,  save  that  his  beauty  was  wasted  and 
yellow  hues  had  overspread  his  cheeks  by  reason  of  parting  from 
those  he  loved  ;  and  great  was  his  groaning  and  moaning,  and  the 
tears  streamed  from  his  eyelids  as  he  repeated  these  couplets  :  — 

Longsome  is  Absence  ;  Care  and  Fear  are  sore,  o  And  ceaseless  tears,  O  friend, 

mine  eyes  outpour  : 
Yea,  I  farewelled  my  heart  on  parting-day      o  And  heartless,  hopeless,  now 

I  bide  forlore  : 
Pause,  O  my  friend,  with  me  farewelling  one  P  Whose  words  my  cure  can 

work,  my  health  restore  1 

Now  when  the  youth  ended  his  poetry  he  wept  awhile  and  fell 
down  in  a  fainting-fit,  whilst  Taj  al-Muluk  looked  at  him  and 
wondered  at  his  case.  Then,  coming  to  himself,  he  stared  with 
distracted  air,  and  versified  in  these  couplets  :  — 

Beware  her  glance  I  rede  thee,  'tis  like  wizard-wight,  o  None  can  escape  un» 

scathed  those  eye-shafts'  glancing  flight  : 
In  very  sooth  black  eyes,  with  languorous  sleepy  look,  o  Pierce    deeper  than 

white  swords  however  these  may  bite. 
Be  not  thy  senses  by  her  sweets  of  speech  beguiled,  o  Whose  brooding  fever 

shall  ferment  in  thought  and  sprite  : 
Soft-sided  Fair,1  did  silk  but  press  upon  her  skin,        o  Twould    draw    red 

blood  from  it,  as  thou  thyself  canst  sight. 
Chary  is  she  of  charms  twixt  neck  and  anklets  dwell  ;  o  And  ah  I  what  other 

scent  shall  cause  me  such  delight  ?  * 

Then  he  sobbed  a  loud  sob  and  swooned  away.  But  when  Taj 
al-Muluk  saw  him  in  this  case,  he  was  perplexed  about  his  state 
and  went  up  to  him  ;  and,  as  the  youth  came  to  his  senses  and  saw 
the  King's  son  standing  at  his  head,  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and 
kissed  the  ground  between  his  hands.  Taj  al-Muluk  asked  him, 

1  Easterns  attach  great  importance  to  softness  and  smoothness  of  skin  and  they  are 
right  :  a  harsh  rough  epidermis  spoils  sport  with  the  handsomest  woman.. 
3  Canticles  vii.  8  :  Hosea  xiv.  6. 


296  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylak. 

"  Why  didst  thou  not  show  us  thy  merchandise  ? "  and  he  answered, 
"O  my  lord,  there  is  naught  among  my  stock  worthy  of  thine 
august  highness."  Quoth  the  Prince,  "  Needs  must  thou  show  me 
what  thou  hast  and  acquaint  me  with  thy  circumstance ;  for  I  see 
thee  weeping-eyed  and  heavy-hearted.  If  thou  have  been  op- 
pressed, we  will  end  thine  oppression,  and  if  thou  be  in  debt,  we 
will  pay  thy  debt ;  for  of  a  truth  my  heart  burneth  to  see  thee, 
since  I  first  set  eyes  on  thee."1  Then  Taj  al-Muluk  bade  the 
seats  be  set,  and  they  brought  him  a  chair  of  ivory  and  ebony  with 
a  net-work  of  gold  and  silk,  and  spread  him  a  silken  rug  for  his 
feet.  So  he  sat  down  on  the  chair  and  bidding  the  youth  seat 
himself  on  the  rug  said  to  him,  "  Show  me  thy  stock  in  trade ! " 
The  young  merchant  replied,  "  O  my  Lord,  do  not  name  this  to 
me,  for  my  goods  be  unworthy  of  thee."  Rejoined  Taj  al-Muluk, 
"  It  needs  must  be  thus  ! "  ;  and  bade  some  of  the  pages  fetch  the 
goods.  So  they  brought  them  in  despite  of  him  ;  and,  when  he 
saw  them,  the  tears  streamed  from  his  eyes  and  he  wept  and 
sighed  and  lamented ;  sobs  rose  in  his  throat  and  he  repeated 
these  couplets : — 

By  what  thine  eyelids  show  of  Kohl  and  coquetry!     o  By   what  thy   shape 

displays  of  lissome  symmetry  ! 
By  what  thy  liplets  store  of  honey-dew  and  wine !      o  By    what  thy    mind 

adorns  of  gracious  kindly  gree  ! 
To  me  thy  sight  dream-visioned,  O  my  hope !  exceeds  o  The  happiest  escape 

from  horriblest  injury. 

Then  the  youth  opened  his  bales  and  displayed  his  merchandise 
to  Taj  al-Muluk  in  detail,  piece  by  piece,  and  amongst  them  he 
brought  out  a  gown  of  satin  brocaded  with  gold,  worth  two  thou- 
sand dinars.  When  he  opened  the  gown  there  fell  a  piece  of 
linen  from  its  folds.  As  soon  as  the  young  merchant  saw  this, 
he  caught  up  the  piece  of  linen  in  haste  and  hid  it  under  his 
thigh ;  and  his  reason  wandered,  and  he  began  versifying : — 

When  shall  be  healed  of  thee  this  heart  that  ever  bides  in  woe?  o  Than  thee 

the  Pleiad-stars  more  chance  of  happy  meeting  show. 
Parting  and  banishment  and  longing  pain  and  lowe  of  love,  o  Procrastinating2 

and  delay— these  ills  my  life  lay  low  : 


1  The  mesmeric  attraction  of  like  to  like. 

8  Arab.  "Taswif"  =  saying  "  Sauf,"  I  will  do  it  soon.     It  is  a  beautiful  word— 
etymologically. 


Tale  of  Taj  al-Muluk  and  the  Princess  Dunyd.          297 

Nor  union  bids  me  live  in  joy,  nor  parting  kills  by  grief,  o  Nor  travel  draws 

me  nearer  thee  nor  nearer  comest  thou  : 
Of  thee  no  justice  may  be  had,  in  thee  dwells  naught  of  ruth  ;  o  Nor  gain  of 

grace  by  side  of  thee,  nor  flight  from  thee  I  know  : 
For  love  of  thee  all  goings  forth  and  comings  back  are  strait  o  On  me  ;  and  I 

am  puzzled  sore  to  know  where  I  shall  go. 

Taj  al-Muluk  wondered  with  great  wonder  at  his  verse,  and  could 
not  comprehend  the  cause.  But  when  the  youth  snatched  up  the 
bit  of  linen  and  placed  it  under  thigh,  he  asked  him,  "  What  is 
that  piece  of  linen  ? "  "  O  my  Lord,"  answered  the  merchant, 
"  thou  hast  no  concern  with  this  piece."  Quoth  the  King's  son, 
"  Show  it  me ; "  and  quoth  the  merchant,  "  O  my  lord,  I  refused 
to  show  thee  my  goods  on  account  of  this  piece  of  linen  ;  for  I 

cannot  let  thee  look  upon  it." And  Shahrazad  perceived  the 

dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


ttfofo  foften  ft  teas  tfte  JL^unftreb-antMtodfrt) 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  young 
merchant  said  to  Taj  al-Muluk,  "  I  did  not  refuse  to  show  thee 
my  goods  save  on  this  account,  for  I  cannot  let  thee  look  upon 
it."  Whereupon  Taj  al-Muluk  retorted,  "  Perforce  I  must  and  will 
see  it ; "  and  insisted  and  became  angry.  So  the  youth  drew  it 
out  from  under  his  thigh,  and  wept  and  moaned  and  redoubled  his 
sighs  and  groans,  and  repeated  these  verses : — 

Now  blame  him  not ;  for  blame  brings  only  irk  and  pain !  o  Indeed,  I  spake 

him  sooth  but  ne'er  his  ear  could  gain  : 
May  Allah  guard  my  moon  which  riseth  in  the  vale  o  Beside  our  camp,  from 

loosed  robe  like  skyey  plain  : ' 
I  left  him  but  had  Love  vouchsafed  to  leave  for  me  o  Some  peace  in  life  such 

leave  of  him  I  ne'er  had  ta'en  : 
How  long  he  pleaded  for  my  sake  on  parting  morn,  o  While  down  his  cheeks 

and  mine  tears  ran  in  railing  rain  : 
Allah  belie  me  not :  the  garb  of  mine  excuse  o  This  parting  rent,  but  I  will 

mend  that  garb  again  ! 
No  couch  is  easy  to  my  side,  nor  on  such  wise  o  Aught  easeth  him,  when  all 

alone  without  me  lain  : 


1  A  very  far-felched  allusion.    The  face  of  the  beloved  springing  from  an  unbuttoned 
robe  is  the  moon  rising  over  the  camp  in  the  hollow 


298  Alf  Laylak  wa  Laylah. 

Time  with  ill-omened  hand  hath  wrought  between  us  two,  o  And  made  my 

waxing  joys  to  wane  and  his  to  wane, 
And  poured  mere  grief  and  woe,  what  time  Time  fain  had  crowned  o  The  bowl 

he  made  me  drink  and  gave  for  him  to  drain. 

When  he  ended  his  recitation,  quoth  Taj  al-Muluk,  "  I  see  thy 
conduct  without  consequence ;  tell  me  then  why  weepest  thou  at 
the  sight  of  this  rag !  "  When  the  young  merchant  heard  speak  of 
the  piece  of  linen,  he  sighed  and  answered,  "  O  my  lord,  my  story 
is  a  strange  and  my  case  out  of  range,  with  regard  to  this  piece  of 
linen  and  to  her  from  whom  I  brought  it  and  to  her  who  wrought 
on  it  these  figures  and  emblems."  Hereupon,  he  spread  out  the 
piece  of  linen,  and  behold,  thereon  was  the  figure  of  a  gazelle 
wrought  in  silk  and  worked  with  red  gold,  and  facing  it  was 
another  gazelle  traced  in  silver  with  a  neck-ring  of  red  gold  and 
three  bugles1  of  chrysolite  upon  the  ring.  When  Taj  al-Muluk  saw 
the  beauty  of  these  figures,  he  exclaimed,  "  Glory  be  to  Allah  who 
teacheth  man  that  which  he  knoweth  not !  "2  And  his  heart 
yearned  to  hear  the  youth's  story ;  so  he  said  to  him,  "  Tell  me 
thy  story  with  her  who  owned  these  gazelles."  Replied  the  young 
man  : — Hear,  O  my  Lord,  the 


TALE  OF  AZIZ  AND  AZIZAH? 

MY  father  was  a  wealthy  merchant  and  Allah  had  vouchsafed  him 
no  other  child  than  myself;  but  I  had  a  cousin,  Azfzah  hight, 
daughter  of  my  paternal  uncle  and  we  twain  were  brought  up  in 
one  house  ;  for  her  father  was  dead  and  before  his  death,  he  had 

1  Arab.  "  Kasabat "  =  "  canes,"  long  beads,  bugles. 
*  Koran,  xcvi.  5. 

'  Both  words  (masc.  and  fern.)  mean  "dear,  excellent,  highly-prized."     The  tale  is 
the  Arab  form  of  the  European  "Patient  Griselda"  and  shows  a  higher  conception  of 
womanly  devotion,  because   Azizah,  despite  her  wearisome  weeping,  is  a  girl  of  high 
intelligence  and  Aziz  is  a  vicious  zany,  weak  as  water  and  wilful  as  wind.     The  phe- 
nomenon (not  rare  in  life)  is  explained  by  the  couplet  :— 
I  love  my  love  with  an  S — 
Because  he  is  stupid  and  not  intellectual. 

TWs  fond  affection  of  clever  women  for  fools  can  be  explained  only  by  the  law  of 
unlikeness  which  mostly  governs  sexual  unions  in  physical  matters ;  and  its  appearance 
in  the  story  gives  novelty  and  point.  Aziz  can  plead  only  the  violence  of  his  passion 
which  distinguished  him  as  a  lover  among  the  mob  of  men  who  cannot  love  anything  beyond 
themselves.  And  none  can  pity  him  for  losing  a  member  which  he  so  much  abused. 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Azizah.  299 

agreed  with  my  father  that  I  should  marry  her.  So  when  I 
reached  man's  estate  and  she  reached  womanhood,  they  did  not 
separate  her  from  me  or  me  from  her,  till  at  last  my  father  spoke 
to  my  mother  and  said,  "  This  very  year  we  will  draw  up  the  con- 
tract of  marriage  between  Aziz  and  Azizah."  So  having  agreed 
upon  this  he  betook  himself  to  preparing  provision  for  the  wedding- 
feast.  Still  we  ceased  not  to  sleep  on  the  same  carpet  knowing 
naught  of  the  case,  albeit  she  was  more  thoughtful,  more  intelligent 
and  quicker-witted  than  I.  Now  when  my  father  had  made  an 
end  of  his  preparations,  and  naught  remained  for  him  but  to  write 
out  the  contract  and  for  me  but  to  consummate  the  marriage  with 
my  cousin,  he  appointed  the  wedding  for  a  certain  Friday,  after 
public  prayers ;  and,  going  round  to  his  intimates  among  the  mer- 
chants and  others,  he  acquainted  them  with  that,  whilst  my  mother 
went  forth  and  invited  her  women  friends  and  summoned  her  kith 
and  kin.  When  the  Friday  came,  they  cleaned  the  saloon  and 
prepared  for  the  guests  and  washed  the  marble  floor ;  then  they 
spread  tapestry  about  our  house  and  set  out  thereon  what  was 
needful,  after  they  had  hung  its  walls  with  cloth  of  gold.  Now 
the  folk  had  agreed  to  come  to  us  after  the  Friday  prayers ;  so  my 
father  went  out  and  bade  them  make  sweetmeats  and  sugared 
dishes,  and  there  remained  nothing  to  do  but  to  draw  up  the  con- 
tract. Then  my  mother  sent  me  to  the  bath  and  sent  after  me  a 
suit  of  new  clothes  of  the  richest ;  and,  when  I  came  out  of  the 
Hammam,  I  donned  those  habits  which  were  so  perfumed  that  as 
I  went  along,  there  exhaled  from  them  a  delicious  fragrance  scent- 
ing the  wayside.  I  had  designed  to  repair  to  the  Cathedral-mosque, 
when  I  bethought  me  of  one  of  my  friends  and  returned  in  quest 
of  him  that  he  might  be  present  at  the  writing  of  the  contract ; 
and  quoth  I  to  myself,  "  This  matter  will  occupy  me  till  near  the 
time  of  congregational  prayer."  So  I  went  on  and  entered  a  by- 
street which  I  had  never  before  entered,  perspiring  profusely  from 
the  effects  of  the  bath  and  the  new  clothes  on  my  body ;  and  the 
sweat  streamed  down  whilst  the  scents  of  my  dress  were  wafted 
abroad :  I  therefore  sat  me  at  the  upper  end  of  the  street  resting 
on  a  stone  bench,  after  spreading  under  me  an  embroidered  ker- 
chief I  had  with  me.  The  heat  oppressed  me  more  and  more, 
making  my  forehead  perspire  and  the  drops  trickled  along  my 
cheeks ;  but  I  could  not  wipe  my  face  with  my  kerchief  because 
it  was  dispread  under  me.  I  was  about  to  take  the  skirt  of  my 
robe  and  wipe  my  cheeks  with  it,  when  unexpectedly  there  fell  on 


3OO  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

me  from  above   a   white  kerchief,  softer  to  the  touch  than  the* 
morning  breeze  and  pleasanter  to  the  sight  than  healing  to  the 
diseased.     I  hent  it  in  hand  and  raised  my  head  to  see  whence 
it  had  fallen,  when  my  eyes  met  the  eyes  of  the  lady  who  owned 

these  gazelles. And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and 

ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 

Jlofo  fofjen  it  foas  rtje  f^untrrrtuanto-tfurttcmf)  jSigSt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  youth 
continued  to  Taj  al-Muluk  : — So  I  raised  my  head  to  see  whence 
this  kerchief  had  fallen,  when  my  eyes  met  those  of  the  lady  who 
owned  these  gazelles.  And  lo !  she  was  looking  out  of  a  wicket 
in  a  lattice  of  brass  and  never  saw  my  eyes  a  fairer  than  she  ;  and 
in  fine  my  tongue  faileth  to  describe  her  beauty.  When  she  caught 
sight  of  me  looking  at  her,  she  put  her  forefinger  into  her  mouth, 
then  joined  her  middle  finger  and  her  witness-finger1  and  laid 
them  on  her  bosom,  between  her  breasts  ;  after  which  she  drew  in 
her  head  and  closed  the  wicket-shutter  and  went  her  ways.  There- 
upon fire  broke  out  in  and  was  heaped  upon  my  heart,  and  greater 
grew  my  smart ;  the  one  sight  cost  me  a  thousand  sighs  and  I 
abode  perplexed,  for  that  I  heard  no  word  by  her  spoken,  nor 
understood  the  meaning  of  her  token.  I  looked  at  the  window  a 
second  time,  but  found  it  shut  and  waited  patiently  till  sundown, 
but  sensed  no  sound  and  saw  no  one  in  view.  So  when  I  despaired 
of  seeing  her  again,  I  rose  from  my  place  and  taking  up  the  hand- 
kerchief, opened  it,  when  there  breathed  from  it  a  scent  of  musk 
which  caused  me  so  great  delight  I  became  as  one  in  Paradise.2 
Then  I  spread  it  before  me  and  out  dropped  from  it  a  delicate 
little  scroll ;  whereupon  I  opened  the  paper  which  was  perfumed 
with  a  delicious  perfume,  and  therein  were  writ  these  couplets  : — 

I  sent  to  him  a  scroll  that  bore  my  plaint  of  love,  <*  Writ  in  fine  deli- 
cate hand  ;  for  writing  proves  man's  skill  : 

Then  quoth  to  me  my  friend,  u  Why  is  thy  writing  thus  ;  «  So  fine,  so  thin- 
drawn  'tis  to  read  unsuitable  ?" 

Quoth  I,  "For  that  I'm  fine-drawn,  wasted,  waxed  thin  ;  o  Thus  lovers' writ 
should  be,  for  so  Love  wills  his  will." 

v  Arab.  "  Shahid,"  the  index,  the  pointer  raised  in  testimony  :  the  comparison  of  the 
Eastern  and  the  Western  names  is  curious. 

2  Musk  is  one  of  the  perfumes  of  the  Moslem  Heaven  ;  and  "  musky  "  is  much  used 
in  verse  to  signify  scented  and  dark -brown. 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Aztzah.  301 

And  after  casting  my  eyes  on  the  beauty  of  the  kerchief,1  I  saw 
upon  one  of  its  two  borders  the  following  couplets  worked  in  with 
the  needle  : — 

His  cheek-down  writeth  (O  fair  fall  the  goodly  scribe !)  o  Two  lines  on  table 

of  his  face  in  Rayhan-hand  :* 
O  the  wild  marvel  of  the  Moon  when  comes  he  forth  !  o  And  when  he  bends, 

O  shame  to  every  Willow-wand  I 

And  on  the  opposite  border  these  two  couplets  were  traced  :  — 

His  cheek-down  writeth  on  his  cheek  with  ambergris  on  pearl  o  Two  lines,  like 
jet  on  apple  li'en,  the  goodliest  design  : 

Slaughter  is  in  those  languid  eyne  whene'er  a  glance  they  deal,  o  And  drunken- 
ness in  either  cheek  and  not  in  any  wine. 

When  I  read  the  poetry  on  the  handkerchief  the  flames  of  love 
darted  into  my  heart,  and  yearning  and  pining  redoubled  their 
smart.  So  I  took  the  kerchief  and  the  scroll  and  went  home,  know- 
ing no  means  to  win  my  wish,  for  that  I  was  incapable  of  conduct- 
ing love-affairs  and  inexperienced  in  interpreting  hints  and  tokens. 
Nor  did  I  reach  my  home  ere  the  night  was  far  spent  and  I  found 
the  daughter  of  my  uncle  sitting  in  tears.  But  as  soon  as  she  saw 
me  she  wiped  away  the  drops  and  came  up  to  me,  and  took  off  my 
walking  dress  and  asked  me  the  reason  of  my  absence,  saying,  '•  All 
the  folk,  Emirs  and  notables  and  merchants  and  others,  assembled 
in  our  house  ;  and  the  Kazi  and  the  witnesses  were  also  present  at 
the  appointed  time.  They  ate  and  tarried  awhile  sitting  to  await 
thine  appearance  for  the  writing  of  the  contract ;  and,  when  they 
despaired  of  thy  presence,  they  dispersed  and  went  their  ways.  And 
indeed,"  she  added,  "thy  father  raged  with  exceeding  wrath  by 
reason  of  this,  and  swore  that  he  would  not  celebrate  our  marriage 
save  during  the  coming  year,  for  that  he  hath  spent  on  these  festi- 
vities great  store  of  money."  And  she  ended  by  asking,  "  What 
hath  befallen  thee  this  day  to  make  thee  delay  till  now  ? ;  and  why 
hast  thou  allowed  that  to  happen  which  happened  because  of  thine 
absence  ? "  Answered  I,  "  O  daughter  of  mine  uncle,  question  me 
not  concerning  what  hath  befallen  me/'3  Then  I  told  her  all  that 


1  Arab.  "  Mandil  "  :  these  kerchiefs  are  mostly  oblong,  the  short  sides  being  worked 
with  gold  and  coloured  silk,  and  often  fringed,  while  the  two  others  are  plain. 

1  Arab.  "  Rayhani,"  of  the  Ocymum  Basilicum  or  sweet  basil :  a  delicate  handwriting, 
so  called  from  the  pen  resembling  a  leaf  (?)  See  vol.  i.  p.  128. 

9  An  idiom  meaning  "something  unusual  happened." 


3O2  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

had  passed  from  beginning  to  end,  and  showed  her  the  handker- 
chief. She  took  the  scroll  and  read  what  was  written  therein  ;  and 
tears  ran  down  her  cheeks  and  she  repeated  these  cinquains : — 

Who  saith  that  Love  at  first  of  free  will  came,  *  Say  him  :— Thou  liest !  Love 

be  grief  and  grame  : 
Yet  shall  such  grame  and  grief  entail  no  shame ;  o  All  annals  teach  us  one  thing 

and  the  same — 

Good  current  coin  dipt  coin  we  may  not  clepe  1 

An  please  thou,  say  there's  pleasure  in  thy  pain,  o  Find  Fortune's  playful  gam- 
bols glad  and  fain  : 

Or  happy  blessings  in  th'  unhappy's  bane,        o  That  joy  or  grieve  with  equal 
might  and  main  : — 

Twixt  phrase  and  antiphrase  I'm  all  a-heap  ! 

But  he,  withal,  whose  days  are  summer-bright,  o  Whom  maids  e'er  greet  with 

smiling  lips'  delight ; 
Whom  spicey  breezes  fan  in  every  site  o  And  wins  whatever  he  wills, 

that  happy  wight 

White-blooded  coward  heart  should  never  keep  ! 

Then  she  asked  me,  "  What  said  she,  and  what  signs  made  she  to 
thee  ? "  I  answered,  "  She  uttered  not  a  word,  but  put  her  fore- 
finger in  her  mouth,  then  joining  it  to  her  middle  finger,  laid  both 
fingers  on  her  bosom  and  pointed  to  the  ground.  Thereupon  she 
withdrew  her  head  and  shut  the  wicket ;  and  after  that  I  saw  her 
no  more.  However,  she  took  my  heart  with  her,  so  I  sat  till  sun- 
down, expecting  her  again  to  look  out  of  the  window ;  but  she  did 
it  not ;  and,  when  I  despaired  of  her,  I  rose  from  my  seat  and  came 
home.  This  is  my  history  and  I  beg  thee  to  help  me  in  this  my 
sore  calamity."  Upon  this  she  raised  her  face  to  me  and  said,  "  O 
son  of  mine  uncle,  if  thou  soughtest  my  eye,  I  would  tear  it  for  thee 
from  its  eyelids,  and  perforce  I  cannot  but  aid  thee  to  thy  desire 
and  aid  her  also  to  her  desire ;  for  she  is  whelmed  in  passion  for 
thee  even  as  thou  for  her."  Asked  I,  "  And  what  is  the  interpre- 
tation of  her  signs  ?  "  ;  and  Azizah  answered,  "  As  for  the  putting 
her  finger  in  her  mouth,1  it  showed  that  thou  art  to  her  as  her  soul 
to  her  body  and  that  she  would  bite  into  union  with  thee  with  her 
wisdom  teeth.  As  for  the  kerchief,  it  betokeneth  that  her  breath 


1  An  action  common  in  grief  and  regret :  here  the  lady  would  show  that  she  sighs  for 
onion  with  her  beloved. 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Azizah.  303 

of  life  is  bound  up  in  thee.  As  for  the  placing  her  two  fingers  on 
her  bosom  between  her  breasts,  its  explanation  is  that  she  saith : — 
The  sight  of  thee  may  dispel  my  grief.  For  know,  O  my  cousin, 
that  she  loveth  thee  and  she  trusteth  in  thee.  This  is  my  interpre- 
tation of  her  signs  and,  could  I  come  and  go  at  will,  I  would  bring 
thee  and  her  together  in  shortest  time,  and  curtain  you  both  with 
my  skirt."  Hearing  these  words  I  thanked  her  (continued  the 
young  merchant)  for  speaking  thus,  and  said  to  myself,  "  I  will  wait 
two  days."  So  I  abode  two  days  in  the  house,  neither  going  out 
nor  coming  in  ;  neither  eating  nor  drinking  but  I  laid  my  head  on 
my  cousin's  lap,  whilst  she  comforted  me  and  said  to  me,  "  Be 

resolute  and   of  good  heart  and   hope   for   the   best!" And 

Shahrazad  percieved  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her 
permitted  say. 


fofien  ft  teas  tfce  J^unfcrcteantefouruemj) 


She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  youth 
pursued  to  Taj  al-Muluk  :  —  And  when  the  two  days  were  past  she 
said  to  me,  "  Be  of  good  cheer  and  clear  thine  eyes  of  tears  and  take 
courage  to  dress  thyself  and  go  to  her,  according  to  thy  tryst." 
Then  she  rose  and  changed  my  clothes  and  perfumed  me  with  in- 
cense-smoke. So  I  braced  myself  up  and  heartened  my  heart  and 
went  out  and  walked  on  till  I  came  to  the  by-street,  where  I  sat 
down  on  the  bench  awhile.  And  behold,  the  wicket  suddenly 
opened  and  I  looked  up  and  seeing  her,  fell  down  in  a  swoon.  When 
I  revived,  I  called  up  resolution  and  took  courage  and  gazed  again 
at  her  and  again  became  insensible  to  the  world  around  me.  Then  I 
came  to  myself  and  looking  at  her,  saw  that  she  held  in  hand  a  mirror 
and  a  red  kerchief.  Now  when  she  caught  my  glance,  she  bared 
her  forearms  and  opened  her  five  fingers  and  smote  her  breast  with 
palm  and  digits  ;  and  after  this  she  raised  her  hands  and,  holding 
the  mirror  outside  the  wicket,  she  took  the  red  kerchief  and  retired 
into  the  room  with  it,  but  presently  returned  and  putting  out  her 
hand  with  the  kerchief,  let  it  down  towards  the  lane  three  several 
times,  dipping  it  and  raising  it  as  often.  Then  she  wrung  it  out 
and  folded  it  in  her  hands,  bending  down  her  head  the  while  ;  after 
which  she  drew  it  in  from  the  lattice  and,  shutting  the  wicket-shutter, 
went  away  without  a  single  word  ;  nay,  she  left  me  confounded  and 


304  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

knowing  not  what  signified  her  signs.1  I  tarried  sitting  there  till 
supper-time  and  did  not  return  home  till  near  midnight ;  and  there 
I  found  the  daughter  of  my  uncle  with  her  cheek  propt  in  her  hand 
and  her  eyelids  pouring  forth  tears ;  and  she  was  repeating  these 
couplets :  — 

Woe's  me  !  why  should  the  blamer  gar  thee  blaming  trow  ?  o  How  be  consoled 

for  thee  that  art  so  tender  bough  ? 
Bright  being!    on  my  vitals  dost  thou  prey,  and  drive    o  My  heart  before 

platonic  passion's2  force  to  bow. 

Thy  Turk-like3  glances  havoc  deal  in  core  of  me,  o  As  furbished  sword  thin- 
ground  at  curve  could  never  show  : 
Thou  weigh'st  me  down  with  weight  of  care,  while  I  have  not  o  Strength  e'en 

to  bear  my  shift,  so  weakness  lays  me  low  : 
Indeed  I  weep  blood-tears  to  hear  the  blamer  say :—  o  "  The  lashes  of  thy 

lover's  eyne  shall  pierce  thee  through  !  " 
Thou  hast,  my  prince  of  loveliness !  an  Overseer,*  o  Who  wrongs  me,  and  a 

Groom  5  who  beats  me  down  with  brow. 
He  foully  lies  who  says  all  loveliness  belonged  o  To  Joseph,  in  thy  loveliness  is 

many  a  Joe : 
I  force  myself  to  turn  from  thee,  in  deadly  fright  o  Of  spies  ;  and  what  the  force 

that  turns  away  my  sight ! 

When  I  heard  her  verse,  cark  increased  and  care  redoubled  on  me 
and  I  fell  down  in  a  corner  of  our  house  ;  whereupon  she  arose  in 
haste  and,  coming  to  me,  lifted  me  up  and  took  off  my  outer  clothes 

1  Lane  (i.  608)  has  a  valuable  note  on  the  language  of  signs,  from  M.  du  Vigneau's 
* ' Secretaire  Turc,"  etc.    (Paris,    1688),    Baron   von   Hammer-Purgstall   ("Mines  de 
1'Orient,"  No.  I,  Vienna,  1809)  and  Marcel's  "  Contes  du  Cheykh  El-Mohdy  "  (Paris, 
1833).     It  is  practised  in  Afiica  as  well  as  in  Asia.     At  Abeokuta  in  Yoruba  a  man  will 
send  a  symbolical  letter  in  the  shape  of  cowries,  palm-nuts  and  other  kernels  strung  on 
rice-straw  ;  and  sharp  wits  readily  interpret  the  meaning.     A  specimen  is  given  in  p.  262 
of  Miss  Tucker's  "  Abbeokuta  ;  or  Sunrise  within  the  Tropics." 

2  Mr.  Payne  (ii.  227)  translates  "  Hawd  al-'Uzri  "  by  "the  love  of  the  Beni  Udhra,  an 
Arabian  tribe  famous  for  the  passion  and  devotion  with  which  love  was  practised  among 
them."    See  Night  dclxxxiii.     I  understand  it  as  "excusable  love"  which,  for  want 
of  a  better  term,  is  here  translated   "platonic."     It  is,  however,  more  like  the  old 
"bundling"  of  Wales  and  Northern  England ;  and  allows  all  the  pleasures  but  one,  the 
toyings  which  the  French  call  Us  plaisirs  de  la  petite  oie;  a  term  my  dear  old  friend  Fred. 
Hankey  derived   from   la  petite  voie.      The  Afghans  know  it  as  "  Namzad-bazi "  or 
betrothed-play  (Pilgrimage,  ii.   56) ;   the  Abyssinians  as  eye-love ;    and  the  Kafirs  as 
Slambuka  a  Shlabonka,  for  which  see  the  traveller  Delegorgue. 

8  "Turk"  in  Arabic  and  Persian  poetry  means  a  plunderer,  a  robber.  Thus  Hafiz  : 
"Agar  an  Turk-i-Shirazi  ba-dast  arad  dil-i-mard,"  If  that  Shirazi  (ah,  the  Turk  !)  would 
deign  to  take  my  heart  in  hand,  etc. 

4  Arab.  "Nazir,"  a  steward  or  an  eye  (a  "looker").  The  idea  is  borrowed  from  AI- 
Hariri  (Assemblies,  xiii.),  and 

6  Arab.  "  Ilajib,"  a  groom  of  the  chambers,  a  chamberlain  ;  also  an  eyebrow.  See 
Al- Hariri,  ibid.  xiii.  and  xxii. 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Azlsah.  305 

and  wiped  my  face  with  her  sleeve.  Then  she  asked  me  what  had 
befallen  me,  and  I  described  all  that  had  happened  from  her. 
Quoth  she,  "  O  my  cousin,  as  for  her  sign  to  thee  with  her  palm 
and  five  fingers  its  interpretation  is,  Return  after  five  days  ;  and  the 
putting  forth  of  her  head  out  of  the  window,  and  her  gestures  with 
the  mirror  and  the  letting  down  and  raising  up  and  wringing  out  of 
the  red  kerchief,1  signify,  Sit  in  the  dyer's  shop  till  my  messenger 
come  to  thee."  When  I  heard  her  words  fire  flamed  up  in  my 
heart  and  I  exclaimed,  "  O  daughter  of  my  uncle,  thou  sayest  sooth 
in  this  thine  interpretation ;  for  I  saw  in  the  street  the  shop  of  a 
Jew  dyer."  Then  I  wept,  and  she  said,  "  Be  of  good  cheer  and 
strong  heart :  of  a  truth  others  are  occupied  with  love  for  years  and 
endure  with  constancy  the  ardour  of  passion,  whilst  thou  hast  but 
a  week  to  wait ;  why  then  this  impatience  ? "  Thereupon  she  went 
on  cheering  me  with  comfortable  talk  and  brought  me  food :  so  I 
took  a  mouthful  and  tried  to  eat  but  could  not ;  and  I  abstained 
from  meat  and  drink  and  estranged  myself  from  the  solace  of  sleep, 
till  my  colour  waxed  yellow  and  I  lost  my  good  looks  ;  for  I  had 
never  been  in  love  before  nor  had  I  ever  savoured  the  ardour  of 
passion  save  this  time.  So  I  fell  sick  and  my  cousin  also  sickened 
on  my  account ;  but  she  would  relate  to  me,  by  way  of  consolation, 
stories  of  love  and  lovers  every  night  till  I  fell  asleep ;  and  when* 
ever  I  awoke,  I  found  her  wakeful  for  my  sake  with  tears  running 
down  her  cheeks.  This  ceased  not  till  the  five  days  were  past, 
when  my  cousin  rose  and  warmed  some  water  and  bathed  me  with 
it.  Then  she  dressed  me  in  my  best  and  said  to  me,  "  Repair  to 
her  and  Allah  fulfil  thy  wish  and  bring  thee  to  thy  desire  of  thy 
beloved  !  "  So  I  went  out  and  ceased  not  walking  on  till  I  came 
to  the  upper  end  of  the  by-street.  As  it  was  the  Sabbath2  I  found 


1  This  gesture  speaks  for  itself:  it  is  that  of  a  dyer  staining  a  cloth.  The  "  Sabbagh's" 
shop  is  the  usual  small  recess,  open  to  the  street  and  showing  pans  of  various  dyes  sunk 
like  "dog-laps"  in  the  floor. 

2  The  Arab.  Sabt  (from  sabata,  he  kept  Sabt)  and  the  Heb.  "Sabbath"  both  mean 
Saturn's  day,  Saturday,   transferred  by  some   unknown   process  throughout   Christen- 
dom to  Sunday.     The  change  is  one  of  the  most  curious  in  the  history  of  religions.     If 
there  be  a  single  command  stronger  than  all  others  it  is  "  Keep  the  Saturday  holy."     It 
was  so  kept  by  the  Founder  of  Christanity ;  the  order  was  never  abrogated  and  yet  most 
Christians  are  not  aware  that  Sabbath,  or  "  Sawbath,"  means  Saturn's  day, the"  Shiyar" 
of  the  older  Arabs.     And  to  complete  its  degradation  "  Sabbat "  in  French  and  German 
means  a  criailleriey  a  "  row,"  a  disorder,  an  abominable  festival  of   Hexen  (witches). 
This  monstrous  absurdity  can  be  explained  only  by  aberrations  of  sectarian  zeal,  of 
party  spirit  in  religion. 

VOL.  II.  U 


306  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

the  dyer's  shop  locked  and  sat  before  it,  till  I  heard  the  call  to- 
mid  afternoon  prayer.  Then  the  sun  yellowed  and  the  Mu'ezzins1 
chanted  the  call  to  sundown-prayer  and  the  night  came ;  but  I  saw- 
no  sign  nor  heard  one  word,  nor  knew  any  news  of  her.  So  I 
feared  for  my  life  sitting  there  alone ;  and  at  last  I  arose  and 
walked  home  reeling  like  a  drunken  man.  When  I  reached  the 
house,  I  found  my  cousin  Azizah  standing,  with  one  hand  grasping 
a  peg  driven  into  the  wall  and  the  other  on  her  breast ;  and  she 
was  sighing  and  groaning  and  repeating  these  couplets : — 

The  longing  of  an  Arab  lass  forlorn  of  kith  and  kin  o  (Who  to  Hijdziaa 
willow- wand  and  myrtle2  doth  incline, 

And  who,  when  meeting  caravan,  shall  with  love-lowe  set  light  o  To  bivouac- 
fire,  and  bring  for  drink  her  tears  of  pain  and  pine) 

Exceeds  not  mine  for  him  nor  more  devotion  shows,  but  he  o  Seeing  my 
heart  is  wholly  his  spurns  love  as  sin  indign. 

Now  when  she  had  finished  her  verse  she  turned  to  me  and,  seeing- 
me,  wiped  away  her  tears  and  my  tears  with  her  sleeve.  Then 
she  smiled  in  my  face  and  said,  "  O  my  cousin,  Allah  grant  thee 
enjoyment  of  that  which  He  hath  given  thee !  Why  didst  thou 
not  pass  the  night  by  the  side  of  thy  beloved  and  why  hast  thou 
not  fulfilled  thy  desire  of  her  ? "  When  I  heard  her  words,  I  gave 
her  a  kick  in  the  breast  and  she  fell  down  in  the  saloon  and  her 
brow  struck  upon  the  edge  of  the  raised  pavement  and  hit  against 
a  wooden  peg  therein.  I  looked  at  her  and  saw  that  her  forehead 


J  The  men  who  cry  to  prayer.  The  first  was  Bilal,  the  Abyssinian  slave  bought  and 
manumitted  by  Abu  Bakr.  His  simple  cry  was  "  I  testify  there  is  no  Ildh  (god)  but 
Allah  (God)!  Come  ye  to  prayers!"  Caliph  Omar,  with  the  Prophet's  permission, 
added,  "I  testify  that  Mohammed  is  the  Apostle  of  Allah."  The  prayer-cry  which  is 
beautiful  and  human,  contrasting  pleasantly  with  the  brazen  clang  of  the  bell,  now  is 

Allah  is  Almighty  (bis). 

I  declare  no  god  is  there  but  Allah  (bis). 

Hie  ye  to  Rogation  (Hayya  =  halumma). 

Hie  ye  to  Salvation  (Falah  =  prosperity,  Paradise). 

("  Hie  ye  to  Edification,"  a  Shi'ah  adjunct). 

Prayer  is  better  than  sleep  (in  the  morning,  also  bis). 

No  god  is  there  but  Allah. 

This  prayer-call  is  similarly  worded  and  differently  pronounced  and  intoned  throughout 
Al- Islam. 

1  i.e.  a  graceful  youth  of  Al-Hijaz,  the  Moslem  Holy  Land,  whose  "  sons  "  claim  especial 
.privileges. 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Aztzaft.  307 

was  cut  open  and  the  blood  running And  Shahrazad  perceived 

the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


Koto  fo&en  it  foas  t&e  ^un&reteantefifteentf) 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  young 
merchant  continued  to  Taj  al-Muluk  : — Now  when  I  kicked  the 
daughter  of  my  uncle  in  the  breast  she  fell  on  the  edge  of  the 
raised  pavement  in  the  saloon  and  her  brow  struck  upon  a  wooden 
peg.  Thereby  her  forehead  was  cut  open  and  the  blood  ran  down, 
but  she  was  silent  and  did  not  utter  a  single  sound.1  Presently 
she  rose  up,  and  made  some  tinder  of  rags,  then  staunching  with 
it  the  bleeding  wound,  bound  her  forehead  with  a  bandage  ;  after 
which  she  wiped  up  the  blood  that  had  fallen  on  the  carpet,  and 
it  was  as  if  nothing  had  been.  Presently  she  came  up  to  me  and 
smiling  in  my  face,  said  with  gentle  voice,  "  By  Allah,  O  son  of 
my  uncle,  I  spake  not  these  words  to  mock  at  thee  or  at  her  !  But 
I  was  troubled  with  an  ache  in  my  head  and  was  minded  to  be 
blooded,  but  now  thou  hast  eased  my  head  and  lightened  my 
brow ;  so  tell  me  what  hath  befallen  thee  to-day."  Thereupon 
I  told  her  all  that  had  passed  between  me  and  her  that  day ;  and 
she  wept  as  she  heard  my  words  and  said,  "  O  son  of  my  uncle, 
rejoice  at  the  good  tidings  of  thy  desire  being  fulfilled  and  thine 
aim  being  attained.  Of  a  truth  this  is  a  sign  of  acceptance ;  for 
that  she  stayed  away  only  because  she  wisheth  to  try  thee  and 
know  if  thou  be  patient  or  not,  and  sincere  in  thy  love  for  her 
or  otherwise.  To-morrow,  repair  to  her  at  the  old  place  and  see 
what  sign  she  maketh  to  thee  ;  for  indeed  thy  gladness  is  near  and 
the  end  of  thy  sadness  is  at  hand."  And  she  went  on  to  comfort 
me ;  but  my  cark  and  care  ceased  not  to  increase  on  me.  Presently 
she  brought  me  food  which  I  kicked  away  with  my  foot  so  that 
the  contents  of  every  saucer  were  scattered  in  all  directions,  and 
I  said,  "  Every  lover  is  a  madman ;  he  inclineth  not  to  food  neither 
enjoyeth  he  sleep."  And  my  cousin  Azizah  rejoined,  "  By  Allah, 
O  son  of  my  uncle,  these  be  in  very  deed  the  signs  of  love  !  "  And 
the  tears  streamed  down  her  cheeks  whenas  she  gathered  the 
fragments  of  the  saucers  and  wiped  up  the  food  ;  then  she  took 
seat  and  talked  to  me,  whilst  I  prayed  Allah  to  hasten  the  dawn. 

1  Arab.  "  harf  "  =  a  letter,  as  we  should  say  a  syllable. 


308  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

At  last,  when  morning  arose  with  its  sheen  and  shine,  I  went  out 
to  seek  her  and  hastening  to  her  by-street  sat  down  on  that  bench, 
when  lo !  the  wicket  opened  and  she  put  out  her  head  laughing. 
Then  she  disappeared  within  and  returned  with  a  mirror,  a  bag, 
and  a  pot  full  of  green  plants  and  she  held  in  hand  a  lamp.  The 
first  thing  she  did  was  to  take  the  mirror  and,  putting  it  into  the 
bag,  tie  it  up  and  throw  it  back  into  the  room  ;  then  she  let  down 
her  hair  over  her  face  and  set  the  lamp  on  the  pot  of  flowers 
during  the  twinkling  of  an  eye ;  then  she  took  up  all  the  things 
and  went  away  shutting  the  window  without  saying  a  word.  My 
heart  was  riven  by  this  state  of  the  case,  and  by  her  secret  signals, 
her  mysterious  secrets  and  her  utter  silence;  and  thereby  my 
longing  waxed  more  violent  and  my  passion  and  distraction 
redoubled  on  me.  So  I  retraced  my  steps,  tearful-eyed  and 
heavy-hearted,  and  returned  home,  where  I  found  the  daughter 
of  my  uncle  sitting  with  her  face  to  the  wall ;  for  her  heart  was 
burning  with  grief  and  galling  jealousy ;  albeit  her  affection 
forbade  her  to  acquaint  me  with  what  she  suffered  of  passion  and 
pining  when  she  saw  the  excess  of  my  longing  and  distraction. 
Then  I  looked  at  her  and  saw  on  her  head  two  bandages,  one  on 
account  of  the  accident  to  her  forehead  and  the  other  over  her  eye 
in  consequence  of  the  pain  she  endured  for  stress  of  weeping  ;  and 
she  was  in  miserable  plight  shedding  tears  and  repeating  these 
couplets:  — 

I  number  rights  ;  indeed  I  count  night  after  night ;      o  Yet  lived  I  long  ere 

learnt  so  sore  accompt  to  see,  ah  ! 
Dear  friend,  I  compass  not  what  Allah  pleased  to  doom  o  For  Layld,  nor  what 

Allah  destined  for  me,  ah  ! 
To  other  giving  her  and  unto  me  her  love,       o  What  loss  but  Layla's  loss 

would  He  I  ever  dree,  ah  ! 

And  when  she  had  finished  her  reciting,  she  looked  towards  me 
and  seeing  me  through  her  tears,  wiped  them  away  and  came  up 
to  me  hastily,  but  could  not  speak  for  excess  of  love.  So  she 
remained  silent  for  some  while  and  then  said,  "  O  my  cousin,  tell 
me  what  befel  thee  with  her  this  time."  I  told  her  all  that  had 
passed  and  she  said,  "  Be  patient,  for  the  time  of  thy  union  is  come 
and  thou  hast  attained  the  object  of  thy  hopes.  As  for  her  signal 
to  thee  with  the  mirror  which  she  put  in  the  bag,  it  said  to  thee, 
When  the  sun  is  set ;  and  the  letting  down  of  her  hair  over  her 
face  signified,  When  night  is  near  and  letteth  fall  the  blackness  of 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Azizah.  309 

'the  dark  and  hath  starkened  the  daylight,  come  hither.  As  for 
her  gesture  with  the  pot  of  green  plants  it  meant,  When  thou 
comest,  enter  the  flower-garden  which  is  behind  the  street ;  and 
as  for  her  sign  with  the  lamp  it  denoted,  When  thou  enterest  the 
flower-garden  walk  down  it  and  make  for  the  place  where  thou 
seest  the  lamp  shining ;  and  seat  thyself  beneath  it  and  await  me  ; 
for  the  love  of  thee  is  killing  me."  When  I  heard  these  words  from 
my  cousin,  I  cried  out  from  excess  of  passion  and  said, "  How  long 
wilt  thou  promise  me  and  I  go  to  her,  but  get  not  my  will  nor  find 
any  true  sense  in  thine  interpreting."  Upon  this  she  laughed  and 
replied,  "  It  remaineth  for  thee  but  to  have  patience  during  the 
rest  of  this  day  till  the  light  darken  and  the  night  starken  and 
thou  shalt  enjoy  union  and  accomplish  thy  hopes;  and  indeed 
all  my  words  be  without  leasing.  Then  she  repeated  these  two 
couplets  :— 

Let  days  their  folds  and  plies  deploy,    o    And  shun  the  house  that  deals 

annoy ! 
Full  oft  when  joy  seems  farthest  far      *    Thou  nighmost  art  to  hour  of  joy. 

Then  she  drew  near  to  me  and  began  to  comfort  me  with  soothing 
speech,  but  dared  not  bring  me  aught  of  food,  fearing  lest  I  be 
angry  with  her  and  hoping  I  might  incline  to  her  ;  so  when  coming 
to  me  she  only  took  off  my  upper  garment  and  said  to  me,  "  Sit 
O  my  cousin,  that  I  may  divert  thee  with  talk  till  the  end  of  the 
day  and,  Almighty  Allah  willing,  as  soon  as  it  is  night  thou  shalt 
be  with  thy  beloved."  But  I  paid  no  heed  to  her  and  ceased  not 
looking  for  the  approach  of  darkness,  saying,  "  O  Lord,  hasten 
the  coming  of  the  night !  And  when  night  set  in,  the  daughter 
of  my  uncle  wept  with  sore  weeping  and  gave  me  a  crumb  of 
pure  musk,  and  said  to  me,  "  O  my  cousin,  put  this  crumb  in  thy 
mouth,  and  when  thou  hast  won  union  with  thy  beloved  and  hast 
taken  thy  will  of  her  and  she  hath  granted  thee  thy  desire,  repeat 
to  her  this  couplet : — 

Ho,  lovers  all !  by  Allah  say  me  sooth  o  What  shall  he  do  when  love  sore 
vexeth  youth  ?  *  * 

And  she  kissed  me  and  swore  me  not  to  repeat  this  couplet  till  I 
should  be  about  to  leave  my  lover  and  I  said,  "  Hearing  is  obey- 


1  She  uses  the  masculine  "  fata,"  in  order  to  make  the  question  more  mysterious. 


3IO  A  If  Lay  la  h  wa  Lay  la  h. 

ing!"  And  when  it  was  supper-tide  I  went  out  and  ceased  not 
walking  on  till  I  came  to  the  flower-garden  whose  door  I  found 
open.  So  I  entered  and,  seeing  a  light  in  the  distance,  made 
towards  it  and  reaching  it,  came  to  a  great  pavilion  vaulted  over 
with  a  dome  of  ivory  and  ebony,  and  the  lamp  hung  from  the 
midst  of  the  dome.  The  floor  was  spread  with  silken  carpets  em- 
broidered in  gold  and  silver,  and  under  the  lamp  stood  a  great 
candle,  burning  in  a  candelabrum  of  gold.  In  mid-pavilion  was 
a  fountain  adorned  with  all  manner  of  figures  j1  and  by  its  side 
stood  a  table  covered  with  a  silken  napkin,  and  on  its  edge  a  great 
porcelain  bottle  full  of  wine,  with  a  cup  of  crystal  inlaid  with  gold. 
Near  all  these  was  a  large  tray  of  silver  covered  over,  and  when  I 
uncovered  it  I  found  therein  fruits  of  every  kind,  figs  and  pome- 
granates, grapes  and  oranges,  citrons  and  shaddocks2  disposed 
amongst  an  infinite  variety  of  sweet-scented  flowers,  such  as  rose, 
jasmine,  myrtle,  eglantine,  narcissus  and  all  sorts  of  sweet-smelling 
herbs.  I  was  charmed  with  the  place  and  I  joyed  with  exceeding 
joy,  albeit  I  found  not  there  a  living  soul  and  my  grief  and  anxiety 
ceased  from  me.  --  And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day, 
and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 

Ifioto  tofjm  it  toas  tfje  ^untaeteanu-sixteenti)  j|tgf)t, 


She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  young 
merchant  continued  to  Taj  al-Muluk  :  —  I  was  charmed  with  the 
place  and  joyed  with  great  joy  albeit  there  I  found  not  a  living 
soul  of  Almighty  Allah's  creatures,  and  saw  nor  slave  nor  hand- 
maid to  oversee  these  things  or  to  watch  and  ward  these  properties. 
So  I  sat  down  in  the  pavilion  to  await  the  coming  of  the  beloved 
of  my  heart  ;  but  the  first  hour  of  the  night  passed  by,  and  the 
second  hour,  and  the  third  hour,  and  still  still  she  came  not.  Then 
hunger  grew  sore  upon  me,  for  that  it  was  long  since  I  had  tasted 
food  by  reason  of  the  violence  of  my  love  :  but  when  I  found  the 


1  The  fountain-bowl  is  often  ornamented  by  a  rude  mosaic  of  black  and  white  marble 
with  enlivenments  of  red  stone  or  tile  in  complicated  patterns. 

a  Arab.  '«  Kubad  "  =  shaddock  (citrus  decumana) :  the  huge  orange  which  Captain 
Shaddock  brought  from  the  West  Indies ;  it  is  the  Anglo-Indian  pompelmoose,  vulg. 
pummelo.  An  excellent  bitter  is  made  out  of  the  rind  steeped  in  spirits.  Citronworts 
came  from  India  whence  they  spread  throughout  the  tropics :  they  were  first  introduced 
into  Europe  by  the  heroic  Joam  de  Castro  and  planted  in  his  garden  at  Cintra  where 
their  descendants  are  still  seen. 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Azizah.  311 

place  even  as  my  cousin  had  told  me,  and  saw  the  truth  of  her  in- 
terpretation of  my  beloved's  signs,  my  mind  was  set  at  rest  and  I 
felt  the  pangs  of  hunger ;  moreover,  the  odour  of  the  viands  on  the 
table  excited  me  to  eat.  So  making-  sure  of  attaining  my  desire, 
and  being  famished  for  food  I  went  up  to  the  table  and  raised  the 
cover  and  found  in  the  middle  a  china  dish  containing  four  chickens 
reddened  with  roasting  and  seasoned  with  spices,  round  the  which 
were  four  saucers,  one  containing  sweetmeats,  another  conserve  of 
pomegranate-seeds,  a  third  almond-pastry l  and  a  fourth  honey 
fritters  ;  and  the  contents  of  these  saucers  were  part  sweet  and 
part  sour.  So  I  ate  of  the  fritters  and  a  piece  of  meat,  then  went 
on  to  the  almond-cakes  and  ate  what  I  could ;  after  which  I  fell 
upon  the  sweetmeats,  whereof  I  swallowed  a  spoonful  or  two  or 
three  or  four,  ending  with  part  of  a  chicken  and  a  mouthful  of 
something  beside.  Upon  this  my  stomach  became  full  and  my 
joints  loose  and  I  waxed  too  drowsy  to  keep  awake ;  so  I  laid  my 
head  on  a  cushion,  after  having  washed  my  hands,  and  sleep  over- 
came me ;  I  knew  not  what  happened  to  me  after  this,  and  I 
awoke  not  till  the  sun's  heat  scorched  me,  for  that  I  had  never  once 
tasted  sleep  for  days  past.  When  I  awoke  I  found  on  my  stomach 
a  piece  of  salt  and  a  bit  of  charcoal ;  so  I  stood  up  and  shook  my 
clothes  and  turned  to  look  right  and  left,  but  could  see  no  one ; 
and  discovered  that  I  had  been  sleeping  on  the  marble  pavement 
without  bedding  beneath  me.  I  was  perplexed  thereat  and  afflicted 
with  great  affliction  ;  the  tears  ran  down  my  cheeks  and  I  mourned 
for  myself.  Then  I  returned  home,  and  when  I  entered,  I  found 
my  cousin  beating  her  hand  on  her  bosom  and  weeping  tears  like 
rain-shedding  clouds  ;  and  she  versified  with  these  couplets  : — 

Blows  from  my  lover's  land  a  Zephyr  cooly  sweet,  o  And  with  its  every  breath 
makes  olden  love  new  glow  : 

O  Zephyr  of  the  morning  hour,  come  show  to  us  o  Each  lover  hath  his  lot, 
his  share  of  joy  and  woe  : 

Could  I  but  win  one  dearest  wish,  we  had  embraced  o  With  what  embrace  and 
clip  of  breast  fond  lovers  know. 

Allah  forbids,  while  bides  unseen  my  cousin's  face,  o  All  joys  the  World  can 
give  or  hand  of  Time  bestow. 

Would  Heaven  I  knew  his  heart  were  like  this  heart  of  me,  o  Melted  by  passion- 
flame  and  charged  with  longing  lowe. 


1  Arab.  Baklawah,  Turk.  Baklava,  a  kind  of  pastry  with  blanched  almonds  bruised 
small  between  layers  of  dough,  baked  in  the  oven  and  cut  into  lozenges.  It  is  still 
common. 


312  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

When  she  saw  me,  she  rose  in  haste  and  wiped  away  her  tears  and 
addressed  me  with  her  soft  speech,  saying,  "  O  son  of  my  uncle, 
verily  Allah  hath  been  gracious  to  thee  in  thy  love,  for  that  she 
whom  thou  lovest  loveth  thee,  whilst  I  pass  my  time  in  weeping 
and  bewailing  my  severance  from  thee  who  blamest  me  and  chidest 
me  ;  but  may  Allah  not  punish  thee  for  my  sake ! "  Thereupon  she 
smiled  in  my  face  a  smile  of  reproach  and  caressed  me ;  then 
taking  off  my  walking  clothes,  she  spread  them  out  and  said,  "  By 
Allah,  this  is  not  the  scent  of  one  who  hath  enjoyed  his  lover !  So 
tell  me  what  hath  befallen  thee,  O  my  cousin."  I  told  her  all  that 
had  passed,  and  she  smiled  again  a  smile  of  reproach  and  said, 
"  Verily,  my  heart  is  full  of  paia ;  but  may  he  not  live  who  would 
hurt  thy  heart !  Indeed,  this  woman  maketh  herself  inordinately 
dear  and  difficult  to  thee,  and  by  Allah,  O  son  of  my  uncle,  I  fear 
for  thee  from  her.1  Know,  O  my  cousin,  that  the  meaning  of  the 
salt  is  thou  wast  drowned  in  sleep  like  insipid  food,  disgustful  to 
the  taste  ;  and  it  is  as  though  she  said  to  thee  : — It  behoveth  thou 
be  salted  lest  the  stomach  eject  thee ;  for  thou  professest  to  be 
•of  the  lovers  noble  and  true  ;  but  sleep  is  unlawful  and  to  a  lover 
undue ;  therefore  is  thy  love  but  a  lie.  However,  it  is  her  love  for 
thee  that  lieth  ;  for  she  saw  thee  asleep  yet  aroused  thee  not  and 
were  her  love  for  thee  true,  she  had  indeed  awoken  thee.  As  for 
the  charcoal,  it  means  Allah  blacken  thy  face 2  for  thou  makest 
a  lying  pretence  of  love,  whereas  thou  art  naught  but  a  child  and 
hast  no  object  in  life  other  than  eating  and  drinking  and  sleeping  ! 
such  is  the  interpretation  of  her  signs,  and  may  Allah  Almighty 
deliver  thee  from  her !  "  When  I  heard  my  cousin's  words,  I  beat 
my  hand  upon  my  breast  and  cried  out,  "  By  Allah,  this  is  the  very 
truth,  for  I  slept  and  lovers  sleep  not !  Indeed  I  have  sinned  against 
myself,  for  what  could  have  wrought  me  more  hurt  than  eating  and 


1  Her  just  fear  was  that  the  young  woman  might  prove  "too  clever  by  half"  for  her 
simpleton  cousin. 

2  The  curse  is  pregnant  with  meaning.""  On  Judgement-day  the  righteous  shall  arise 
with  their  faces  shining  gloriously:    hence  the  blessing,  "  Bayyaz'  Allaho  wajh-ak  " 
(=  Allah  whiten  thy  countenance  !).     But  the  wicked  shall  appear  with  faces  scorched 
black  and  deformed  by  horror  (Koran  xxiv.) :    hence  "God  blacken   thy  brow!"    I 
may  observe  that  Easterns  curse,  the  curse  being  everywhere  the  language  of  excited 
destructiveness ;  but  only  Westerns,  and  these  chieriy  English,  swear,  a  practice  utterly 
meaningless.    "  Damn  it"  without  specifying  what  the  "  it "  is,  sounds  like  the  speech  of 
a  naughty  child  anxious  only  to  use  a  "wicked  word."     "  Damn  you  !  "  is  intelligible  all 
the  world  over.     It  has  given  rise  to  "les  goddams"  in  France;    "  Godames  "  in  the 
Brazil  and  "Gotama"  amongst  the  Somal  of  Eastern  Africa,  who  learn  it  in  Aden, 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Azizah.  313 

sleeping  ?  Now  what  shall  I  do  ?  "  Then  I  wept  sore  ancTsaid  to 
the  daughter  of  my  uncle,  "  Tell  me  how  to  act  and  have  pity  on 
me,  so  may  Allah  have  pity  on  thee  :  else  I  shall  die."  As  my 
cousin  loved  me  with  very  great  love,  --  And  Shahrazad  per- 
ceived the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 

/2ofo  tofjcn  It  tons  tfjc  ?i^untire&=nnl)--scbcntccm!j  /ligfjt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  young 
'merchant  continued  his  tale  to  Taj  al-Muluk  :  —  Thereupon  quoth  I 
to  the  daughter  of  my  uncle,  "  Tell  me  what  to  do  and  have  pity  on 
me,  so  may  Allah  have  pity  on  thee  !  "  As  the  daughter  of  my 
uncle  loved  me  with  great  love,  she  replied,  "  On  my  head  and  eyes  ! 
But,  O  my  cousin,  I  repeat  what  I  have  told  thee  oftentimes,  if  I 
could  go  in  and  out  at  will,  I  would  at  once  bring  you  two  together 
and  cover  you  both  with  my  skirt  :  nor  would  I  do  this  but  hoping 
to  win  thy  favour.  Inshallah,  I  will  do  my  utmost  endeavour  to 
unite  you  ;  but  hear  my  words  and  do  my  bidding.  Go  thou  to 
the  very  same  place  and  sit  down  where  thou  sattest  before  and 
at  supper-tide  look  thou  eat  not,  for  eating  induceth  sleep  ;  and 
have  a  care  thou  slumber  not,  for  she  will  not  come  to  thee  till  a 
fourth  part  of  the  night  be  passed.  And  the  Almighty  avert  her 
mischief  from  thee  !  "  Now  when  I  heard  these  words  I  rejoiced 
and  besought  Allah  to  hasten  the  night  ;  and,  as  soon  as  it  was 
dark,  I  was  minded  to  go,  and  my  cousin  said  to  me,  "  When  thou 
shalt  have  met  her,  repeat  to  her  the  couplet  I  taught  thee  before, 
at  the  time  of  thy  leave-taking."  Replied  I,  "  On  my  head  and 
eyes  !  "  and  went  out  and  repaired  to  the  garden,  where  I  found  all 
made  ready  in  the  same  state  as  on  the  previous  night,  with  every 
requisite  of  meat  and  drink,  dried  fruits,  sweet-scented  flowers 
and  so  forth.  I  went  up  into  the  pavilion  and  smelt  the  odour  of 
the  viands  and  my  spirit  lusted  after  them  ;  but  I  possessed  my 
soul  in  patience  for  a  while,  till  at  last  I  could  no  longer  withstand 
temptation.  So  I  arose  from  my  seat  and  went  up  to  the  table 
and,  raising  its"  cover,  found  a  dish  of  fowls,  surrounded  by  four 
saucers  containing  four  several  meats.  I  ate  a  mouthful  of  each 
kind  and  as  much  as  I  would  of  the  sweetmeats  and  a  piece  of 
meat  :  then  I  drank  from  the  saucer  a  sauce  yellowed  with  saffron  l 


1  Arab.  "Zardah,"  usually  rice  dresse4.  with.  »ffrpn  jujd^hpqey,  from  Pets,  "j 

saffron,  yellow.     See  Night  dccxii, 


314  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

and  as  it  pleased  me,  I  supped  it  up  by  the  spoonful  till  I  was 
satisfied  and  my  stomach  was  full.  Upon  this,  my  eyelids 
drooped ;  so  I  took  a  cushion  and  set  it  under  my  head,  saying, 
"  Haply  I  can  recline  upon  it  without  going  to  sleep."  Then  I 
closed  my  eyes  and  slept,  nor  did  I  wake  till  the  sun  had  risen, 
when  I  found  on  my  stomach  a  cube  of  bone,1  a  single  tip-cat 
stick,8  the  stone  of  a  green  date  8  and  a  carob  pod.  There  was 
no  furniture  nor  aught  else  in  the  place,  and  it  was  as  if  there 
had  been  nothing  there  yesterday.  So  I  rose  and  shaking  all 
these  things  off  me,  fared  forth  in  fury ;  and,  going  home,  found 
my  cousin  groaning  and  versifying  with  these  couplets  : — 

A  wasted  body,  heart  enpierced  to  core,  o  And  tears  that  down  my  poor  cheeks 

pour  and  pour : 
And  lover  dure  of  access ;  but,  but  still  o  Naught  save  what's  fair  can   come 

from  fairest  flow'r : 

0  cousin  mine  thou  fill'st  my  soul  with  pain,  o  And  from  these  tears  mine  eye- 

lids ache  full  sore ! 

1  chid  the  daughter  of  my  uncle  and  abused  her,  whereat  she  wept ; 
then,  wiping  away  her  tears,  she  came  up.  to  me  and  kissed  me 
and  began  pressing   me  to  her  bosom,  whilst  I  held  back  from 
her  blaming   myself.     Then  said  she  to  me,  "O  my  cousin,  it 
seemeth  thou  sleptest  again  this  night  ? "     Replied  I,  "  Yes ;  and 
when  I  awoke,  I  found  on  my  stomach  a  cube  of  bone,  a  single 
tip-cat  stick,  a  stone  of  a  green  date  and   a   carob-pod,  and   I 
know  not  why  she  did  this."    Then  I  wept  and  went  up  to  her 
and  said,  "  Expound  to  me  her  meaning  in  so  doing  and  tell  me 
how  shall  I  act  and  aid  me  in  my  sore  strait."     She  answered, 
"  On  my  head  and  eyes !     By  the  single  tip-cat  stick  and  the  cube 
of  bone  which  she  placed  upon  thy  stomach  she  saith  to  thee, 
Thy  body  is  present  but  thy  heart  is  absent ;  and  she  meaneth, 
Love  is  not  thus:  so  do  not  reckon  thyself  among  lovers.     As  for 
the  date-stone,  it  is  as  if  she  said  to  thee,  An  thou  wert  in  love  thy 
heart  would  be  burning  with  passion  and  thou  wouldst  not  taste 


1  Vulgarly  called  "knuckle-bone,"  concerning  which  I  shall  have  something  to  say. 

1  A  bit  of  wood  used  in  the  children's  game  called  "  Tab  "  which  resembles  our  tip- 
cat (Lane  M.  E.  chapt.  xvii.) 

*  Arab.  "  Balah,"  the  unripened  date,  which  is  considered  a  laxative  and  eaten  in  hot 
weather. 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Azizah.  315 

the  delight  of  sleep  ;  for  the  sweet  of  love  is  like  a  green  date  ! 
which  kindleth  a  coal  of  fire  in  the  vitals.  As  for  the  carob- 
pod  2  it  signifieth  to  thee,  The  lover's  heart  is  wearied  ;  and 
thereby  she  saith,  Be  patient  under  our  separation  with  the 
patience  of  Job.  When  I  heard  this  interpretation,  fires  darted 
into  my  vitals  like  a  dart  and  grief  redoubled  upon  my  heart  and 
I  cried  out,  saying,  "  Allah  decreed  sleep  to  me  for  my  ill-fortune." 
Then  I  said  to  her,  "  O  my  cousin,  by  my  life,  devise  me  some 
device  whereby  I  may  win  my  will  of  her  !  "  She  wept  and 
answered,  w  O  Aziz,  O  son  of  my  uncle,  verily  my  heart  is  full  of 
sad  thought  which  I  cannot  speak  :  but  go  thou  again  to-night  to 
the  same  place  and  beware  thou  sleep  not,  and  thou  shalt  surely 
attain  thy  desire.  This  is  my  counsel  and  peace  be  with  thee  1  " 
Quoth  I,  "  If  Allah  please  I  will  not  sleep,  but  will  do  as  thou 
biddest  me."  Then  my  cousin  rose,  and  brought  me  food,  saying, 
41  Eat  now  what  may  suffice  thee,  that  nothing  may  divert  thy 
heart."  So  I  ate  my  fill  and,  when  night  came,  my  cousin  rose 
and  bringing  me  a  sumptuous  suit  of  clothes  clad  me  therein. 
Then  she  made  me  swear  I  would  repeat  to  my  lover  the  verse 
aforesaid  and  bade  me  beware  of  sleeping.  So  I  left  her  and 
repaired  to  the  garden  and  went  up  into  that  same  pavilion 
where  I  occupied  myself  in  holding  my  eyelids  open  with  my 
fingers  and  nodding  my  head  as  the  night  darkened  on  me.  -- 
And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her 
permitted  say. 

Xoto  tofjax  it  tons  tfje  IDunbrctJ-anb-cicjfjtfcntf)  Xi'g&t, 


She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  young- 
merchant  continued  to  Taj  al-MuluK  :  —  So  I  repaired  to  the  garden 
and  went  up  into  that  same  pavilion  and  occupied  myself  in  gazing 
upon  the  ilower-beds  and  in  holding  my  eyelids  open  with  my 
fingers  and  nodding  my  head  as  the  night  darkened  on  me.  And 
presently  I  grew  hungry  with  watching  and  the  smell  of  the  meats 


1  Lane  (i.  611),  quoting  Al-Kazwfnf,  notes  that  the  date-stone  is  called  "Nawa" 
{dim.  "  Nawiyah")  which  also  means  distance,  absence,  severance.  Thus  the  lady 
threatens  to  cast  off  her  greedy  and  sleepy  lover. 

3  The  pod  of  the  carob-bean  which  changes  little  after  being  plucked  is  an  emblem 
of  constancy. 


316  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

being  wafted  towards  me,  my  appetite  increased  :  so  I  went  up  to 
the  table  and  took  off  the  cover  and  ate  a  mouthful  of  every  dish 
and  a  bit  of  meat ;  after  which  I  turned  to  the  flagon  of  wine, 
saying  to  myself,  I  will  drink  one  cup.  I  drank  it,  and  then  I 
drank  a  second  and  a  third,  till  I  had  drunk  full  ten,  when  the  cool 
air  smote  me  and  I  fell  to  the  earth  like  a  felled  man.  I  ceased 
not  to  lie  thus  till  day  arose,  when  I  awoke  and  found  myself  out- 
side the  garden,  and  on  my  stomach  were  a  butcher's  knife  and 
a  dram-weight  of  iron.1  Thereat  I  trembled  and,  taking  them  with 
me,  went  home,  where  I  found  my  cousin  saying,  "  Verily,  I  am  in 
this  house  wretched  and  sorrowful,  having  no  helper  but  weeping." 
Now  when  I  entered,  I  fell  down  at  full  length  and  throwing  the 
knife  and  the  dram-weight  from  my  hand,  I  fainted  clean  away. 
As  soon  as  I  came  to  myself,  I  told  her  what  had  befallen  me  and 
said,  "  Indeed,  I  shall  never  enjoy  my  desire."  But  when  she  saw 
my  tears  and  my  passion,  they  redoubled  her  distress  on  my 
account,  and  she  cried,  "  Verily,  I  am  helpless !  I  warned  thee  against 
sleeping ;  but  thou  wouldst  not  hearken  to  my  warning,  nor  did  my 
words  profit  thee  aught."  I  rejoined,  "  By  Allah,  I  conjure  thee 
to  explain  to  me  the  meaning  of  the  knife  and  the  iron  dram- 
weight."  "  By  the  dram-weight,"  replied  my  cousin,  "  she  alludeth 
to  her  right  eye,2  and  she  sweareth  by  it  and  saith : — By  the  Lord 
of  all  creatures  and  by  my  right  eye !  if  thou  come  here  again  and 
sleep,  I  will  cut  thy  throat  with  this  very  knife.  And  indeed  I 
fear  for  thee,  O  my  cousin,  from  her  malice;  my  heart  is  full 
of  anguish  for  thee  and  I  cannot  speak.  Nevertheless,  if  thou 
can  be  sure  of  thyself  not  to  sleep  when  thou  returnest  to  her, 
return  to  her  and  beware  of  sleeping  and  thou  shalt  attain 
thy  desire ;  but  if  when  returning  to  her  thou  wilt  sleep,  as  is 
thy  wont,  she  will  surely  slaughter  thee."  Asked  I,  "  What  shall 
I  do,  O  daughter  of  my  uncle:  I  beg  thee,  by  Allah,  to  help 
me  in  this  my  calamity."  Answered  she,  "  On  my  head  and 
eyes!  if  thou  wilt  hearken  to  my  words  and  do  my  bidding, 


1  This  dirham  =  48  grains  avoir. 

2  The  weight  would  be  round:  also  *'Hadid"  (=  iron)  means  sharp  or  piercing 
(Koran  chapt.  vii.  21).    The  double  "swear  "is  intended  to  be  very  serious.     More- 
over iron  conjures  away  fiends  :  when  a  water-spout  or  a  sand-devil  (called  Shaytan 
also  in  Arabia)  approaches,  you  point  the  index  at  the  Jinn  and  say,  "  Iron,  O  thou  ill- 
omened  one  !"    Amongst  the  Ancient  Egyptians  the  metal  was  ill-omened  being  the 
bones  of  Typhon,  so  here,  possibly,  we  have  an  instance  of  early  homoeopathy— similia 
similibus, 


Tale  of  A  si  fz  and  Aztzah.  317 

thou  shalt  h^ve  thy  will."  Quoth  I,  "  I  will  indeed  hearken 
to  thy  words  and  do  thy  bidding  ;  "  and  quoth  she,  "  When  it 
is  time  for  thee  to  go,  I  will  tell  thee."  Then  she  pressed  me 
to  her  bosom  and  laying  me  on  the  bed,  shampoo'd  my  feet,  till 
drowiness  overcame  me  and  I  was  drowned  in  sleep;  then  she 
took  a  fan  and  seated  herself  at  my  head  with  the  fan  in  her  hand 
and  she  was  weeping  till  her  clothes  were  wet  with  tears.  Now 
when  she  saw  that  I  was  awake,  she  wiped  away  the  drops  and 
fetched  me  some  food  and  set  it  before  me.  I  refused  it,  but  she 
said  to  me,  "  Did  I  not  tell  thee  that  thou  must  do  my  bidding  ? 
Eat !  "  So  I  ate  and  thwarted  her  not  and  she  proceeded  to 
put  the  food  into  my  mouth  and  I  to  masticate  it,  till  I  was  full. 
Then  she  made  me  drink  jujube-sherbet1  and  sugar  and  washed 
my  hands  and  dried  them  with  a  kerchief;  after  which  she 
sprinkled  me  with  rose-water,  and  I  sat  with  her  awhile  in  the 
best  of  spirits.  When  the  darkness  had  closed  in,  she  dressed 
me  and  said  to  me,  "  O  son  of  my  uncle,  watch  through  the 
whole  night  and  sleep  not ;  for  she  will  not  come  to  thee  this 
fide  till  the  last  of  the  dark  hours  and,  Allah  willing,  thou  shalt 
be  at  one  with  her  this  night ;  but  forget  not  my  charge."  Then 
she  wept,  and  my  heart  was  pained  for  her  by  reason  of  her 
over  much  weeping,  and  I  asked,  "  What  is  the  charge  thou 
gavest  me  ? "  She  answered,  "  When  thou  takest  leave  of  her 
repeat  to  her  the  verse  before  mentioned."  So,  full  of  joy  I 
left  her  and  repairing  to  the  garden,  went  up  into  the  pavilion 
where,  being  satiated  with  food,  I  sat  down  and  watched  till 
a  fourth  part  of  the  dark  hours  was  past.  That  night  seemed 
longsome  to  me  as  it  were  a  year  :  but  I  remained  awake 
till  it  was  three  quarters  spent  and  the  cocks  crew  and  I 
was  famished  for  long  watching.  Accordingly  I  went  up  to 
the  table  and  ate  my  fill,  whereupon  my  head  grew  heavy  and 


1  Probably  fermented  to  a  kind  of  wine.  The  insipid  fruit  (Unndb)  which  looks  like 
an  apple  in  miniature,  is  much  used  in  stews,  etc.  It  is  the  fruit  (Nabak  classically 
Nabik)  of  Rhamnus  Nabeca  (or  Sidrat)  also  termed  Zizyphus  Jujuba,  seu  Spina  Christi 
because  fabled  to  have  formed  the  crown  of  thorns  :  in  the  English  market  this  plum  is 
called  Chinese  Japonica.  I  have  described  it  in  Pilgrimage  ii.  205,  and  have  noticed 
the  infusion  of  the  leaves  for  washing  the  dead  (ibid.  ii.  105) :  this  is  especially  the  use  of 
the  "Ber"  in  India,  where  the  leaves  are  superstitiously  held  peculiarly  pure.  Our 
dictionaries  translate  "  Sidr "  by  "  Lote-tree  "  ;  and  no  wonder  that  believers  in  Homeric 
writ  feel  theii  bile  aroused  by  so  poor  a  realisation  of  the  glorious  myth.  The  Homerids 
probably  alluded  to  Hashish  or  Bhang. 


31 8  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

I  wanted  to  sleep,  when  behold,  a  light  appeared  making 
towards  me  from  afar.  I  sprang  up  and  washed  my  hands 
and  mouth  and  roused  myself ;  and  before  long  she  came  with 
ten  damsels,  in  whose  midst  she  was  like  the  full  moon  among 
the  stars.  She  was  clad  in  a  dress  of  green  satin  purfled  with 
red  gold,  and  she  was  as  saith  the  poet  : — 

She  lords  it  o'er  our  hearts  in  grass-green  gown,  o  With  buttons1  loose 
and  locks  long  flowing  down. 

Quoth  I,  "What  is  thy  name  ?"  Quoth  she,  M  I'm  she,  o  Who  burns  the  lover- 
heart  live  coals  upon  :  " 

I  made  my  plaint  to  her  of  loving  lowe ;  o  Laughed  she,  "  To  stone  thou 
moanest  useless  moan  !  " 

Quoth  I,  "An  be  of  hardest  stone  thy  heart,  o  Allah  drew  sweetest  spring 
from  hardest  stone." 

When  she  saw  me  she  laughed  and  said,  "  How  is  it  that  thou  art 
awake  and  that  sleep  overcame  thee  not  ?  Forasmuch  as  thou  hast 
watched  through  the  night,  I  know  that  thou  art  a  lover  ;  for  night- 
watching  is  the  mark  of  lovers  displaying  brave  endurance  of  their 
desires."  Then  she  turned  to  her  women  and  signed  to  them  and 
they  went  away  from  her,  whereupon  she  came  up  to  me  and 
strained  me  to  her  breast  and  kissed  me,  whilst  I  kissed  her,  and 
she  sucked  my  upper  lip  whilst  I  sucked  her  lower  lip.  I  put  my 
hand  to  her  waist  and  pressed  it  and  we  came  not  to  the  ground 
save  at  the  same  moment.  Then  she  undid  her  petticoat-trousers 
which  slipped  down  to  her  anklets,  and  we  fell  to  clasping  and 
embracing  and  toying  and  speaking  softly  and  biting  and  inter- 
twining of  legs  and  going  round  about  the  Holy  House  and  the 
corners  thereof,2  till  her  joints  became  relaxed  for  love-delight  and 
she  swooned  away.  I  entered  the  sanctuary,  and  indeed  that  night 
was  a  joy  to  the  sprite  and  a  solace  to  the  sight  even  as  saith  the 
poet :  — 

Sweetest  of  nights  the  world  can  show  to  me,  that  night  o  When  cups  went 
round  and  round  as  fed  by  ceaseless  spring  : 

There  utter  severance  made  I  'twixt  mine  eyes  and  sleep,  o  And  joined,  re- 
joined mine  ear-drop  with  the  anklet-ring.3 

1  Arab.  "Azrar"  :  the  open  collar  of  the  Saub  ("Tobe")  or  long  loose   dress  is 
symptomatic.     The  Eastern  button  is  on  the  same  principle  as  ours  (both  having  taken 
the  place  of  the  classical  fibula)  ;  but  the  Moslem  affects  a  loop  (like  those  to  which  we 
attach  our  "  frogs  ")  and  utterly  ignores  a  button-hole. 

2  Alluding  to  the  ceremonious  circumambulation  of  the  Holy  House  at  Meccah,  a 
notable  irreverence  worthy  of  Kneph-town  (Canopus). 

8  The  ear-drop  is  the  penis  and  the  anklet  its  crown  of  glory. 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Azhah.  319 

We  lay  together  in  close  embrace  till  the  morning  when  I  would 
have  gone  away,  but  she  stopped  me  and  said,  "  Stay  till  I  tell  thee 

something  " And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and 

ceased  saying  her  permitted  say. 


Nofo  fofjen  (i  foas  tfje  jeun&rrtr~antautut*tnti)  tf(gf)t, 


She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  young 
merchant  continued  his  recital  to  Taj  al-Muluk  :  —  When  I  would 
have  gone  away,  she  stopped  me  and  said,  "  Stay,  till  I  tell  thee 
something  and  charge  thee  with  a  charge."  So  I  stayed  whilst  she 
unfolded  a  kerchief  and  drew  out  this  piece  of  linen  and  spread  it 
open  before  me.  I  found  worked  on  it  these  two  figures  of  gazelles 
and  admired  it  with  great  admiration.  Then  I  took  the  piece  of 
linen  and  went  away,  joyful,  after  we  had  agreed  that  I  should  visit 
her  every  night  in  the  garden  ;  but  in  my  joy  I  forgot  to  repeat 
to  her  the  verse  my  cousin  had  taught  me.  Fox  when  giving  me 
the  piece  of  linen  with  the  gazelles  she  had  said  to  me,  "  Keep  this 
carefully,  as  it  is  my  sister's  handiwork."  I  asked  her,  "  What  is 
thy  sister's  name  ?  "  ;  and  she  answered,  "  Her  name  is  Nur  al- 
Huda."  When  I  went  to  my  cousin,  I  found  her  lying  down  ;  but 
as  soon  as  she  saw  me,  she  rose,  with  the  tears  running  from  her 
eyes,  and  came  up  to  me,  and  kissed  me  on  the  breast  and  said, 
"Didst  thou  do  as  I  enjoined  thee  ?  and  repeat  the  verse  to  her?" 
"  I  forgot  it,"  replied  I  ;  "  and  nothing  drove  it  out  of  my  mind  but 
these  two  figured  gazelles."  And  I  threw  the  piece  of  linen  on  the 
floor  before  her.  She  rose  and  sat  down  again,  but  was  unable  to 
contain  herself  for  impatience,  and  her  eyes  ran  over  with  tears, 
whilst  she  repeated  these  two  couplets  :  — 

O  thou  who  seekest  parting,  softly  fare  !  o  Let  not  the  Fair  delude  with  cunning 

art  : 
Fare  softly,  Fortune's  nature  is  to  'guile,  o  And  end  of  every  meeting  is   to 

part. 

And  when  she  ended  her  recitation  she  said,  "  O  my  cousin,  give 
me  this  piece  of  linen."  So  I  gave  it  to  her  and  she  took  it  and 
unfolding  it,  saw  what  was  therein.  When  the  tryst-time  came  for 
my  going  to  my  lover,  the  daughter  of  my  uncle  said  to  me,  "  Go,  and 
peace  attend  thee  ;  and  when  thou  art  about  to  leave  her,  recite  to 
her  the  verse  I  taught  thee  long  ago  and  which  thou  didst  forget." 


320  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

Quoth  I,  "  Tell  it  me  again  " ;  and  she  repeated  it.  Then  I  went  to 
the  garden  and  entered  the  pavilion,  where  I  found  the  young  lady 
awaiting  me.  When  she  saw  me,  she  rose  and  kissed  me  and  made 
me  sit  in  her  lap;  and  we  ate  and  drank  and  did  our  desire  as 
before.  In  the  morning,  I  repeated  to  her  my  cousin's  verse  which 
was  this : — 

Ho,  lovers  all !  by  Allah  say  me  sooth  °  What  shall  he  do  when  Love  sore 
vexeth  youth  ? 

When  she  heard  this,  her  eyes  filled  with  tears  and  she  answered 
and  said  : — 

Strive  he  to  cure  his  case,  to  hide  the  truth ;  o  Patiently  humble  self  and  sue  for 
ruth  ! 

I  committed  it  to  memory  and  returned  home  rejoicing  at  having1 
done  my  cousin's  bidding.  When  I  entered  the  house  I  found  her 
lying  down  and  my  mother  at  her  head  weeping  over  her  case ;  but 
as  soon  as  I  went  in  to  her  my  mother  said  to  me,  "  A  foul  plague 
on  such  a  cousin !  How  couldst  thou  leave  the  daughter  of  thy 
uncle  ailing  and  not  ask  what  ailed  her  ?  "  But  when  my  cousin 
saw  me  she  raised  her  head  and  sat  up  and  asked  me,  "O  Aziz, 
didst  thou  repeat  to  her  the  couplet  I  taught  thee  ? "  I  answered, 
"  Yes,  and  when  she  heard  it  she  wept  and  recited  in  answer 
another  couplet  which  I  committed  to  memory."  Quoth  my  cousin, 
"  Tell  it  me."  I  did  so ;  and  when  she  heard  it  she  wept  with  much 
weeping  and  repeated  the  following  verses : — 

How  shall  youth  cure  the  care  his  life  undo'th,  o  And  every  day  his  heart  in 

pieces  hew'th? 
In  sooth  he  would  be  patient,  but  he  findeth  o  Naught  save  a  heart  which 

love  with  pains  imbu'th. 

Then  added  my  cousin,  "  When  thou  goest  to  her  as  of  wont, 
repeat  to  her  also  these  two  couplets  which  thou  hast  heard."  I 
replied,  "  Hearkening  and  obedience  !  "  and  I  went  at  the  wonted 
time,  to  the  garden,  where  there  passed  between  my  mistress  and 
myself  what  tongue  faiteth  to  describe.  When  I  was  about  to 
leave  her,  I  repeated  to  her  those  two  couplets  of  my  cousin's*, 
whereupon  the  tears  streamed  from  her  eyes  and  she  replied  : — 

If  he  of  patience  fail  the  truth  to  hide  o  For  him  no  cure  save  Death  my 
vision  view'th  ! 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Aztzah. 

I  committed  them  to  memory  and  returned  home,  and  when  I 
went  in  to  my  cousin  I  found  her  fallen  into  a  fit  and  my  mother 
sitting  at  her  head.  When  she  heard  my  voice,  she  opened  her 
eyes  and  asked,  "  O  Aziz !  didst  thou  repeat  the  two  couplets  to 
her  ?  "  whereto  I  answered,  "  Yes  ;  but  she  wept  on  hearing  them 
and  she  replied  with  this  couplet  beginning,  If  he  of  patience  fail, 
to  the  end."  And  I  repeated  it ;  whereupon  my  cousin  swooned 
again,  and  when  she  came  to  herself,  she  recited  these  two 
couplets  : — 

Hearkening,  obeying,  with  my  dying  mouth  o  I  greet  who  joy  of  union  ne'er 

allow'th  : 
Fair  fall  all  happy  loves,  and  fair  befal      o  The  hapless  lover  dying  in  his 

drowth  ! 

Again  when  it  was  night,  I  repaired  to  the  garden  as  usual 
where  I  found  the  young  lady  awaiting  me.  We  sat  down  and 
ate  and  drank,  after  which  we  did  all  we  wanted  and  slept  till  the 
morning  ;  and,  as  I  was  going  away,  I  repeated  to  her  the  saying 
of  my  cousin.  When  she  heard  the  couplet  she  cried  out  with  a 
loud  cry  and  was  greatly  moved  and  exclaimed,  "  Awah !  Awah  ! l 
By  Allah,  she  who  spake  these  lines  is  dead ! "  Then  she  wept  and 
said  to  me,  "  Woe  to  thee  !  How  is  she  who  spoke  thus  related  to 
thee  ?  "  Replied  I,  "  She  is  the  daughter  of  my  father's  brother." 
"  Thou  liest,"  rejoined  she ;  "  by  Allah,  were  she  thy  cousin,  thou 
hadst  borne  her  the  same  love  as  she  bore  thee  !  It  is  thou  who 
hast  slain  her  and  may  the  Almighty  kill  thee  as  thou  killedst  her! 
By  'Allah,  hadst  thou  told  me  thou  hadst  a  cousin,  I  would  not 
have  admitted  thee  to  my  favours  !  "  Quoth  I,  "  Verily  it  was  she 
who  interpreted  to  me  the  signs  thou  madest  and  it  was  she  who 
taught  me  how  to  come  to  thee  and  how  I  should  deal  with  thee ; 
and,  but  for  her,  I  should  never  have  been  united  to  thee."  She 
then  asked  me,  "Did  thy  cousin  then  know  of  us?";  and  I 
answered,  "  Yes  ; J>  whereupon  she  exclaimed,  "  Allah  give  thee 
sorrow  of  thy  youth,  even  as  thou  hast  sorrowed  her  youth !  " 
Then  she  cried  to  me,  "  Go  now  and  see  after  her."  So  I  went 


1  Equivalent  to  our  "  Alas  !  Alas  ! "  which,  by  the  by,  no  one  ever  says.  "Awah," 
like  "  Yauh,"  is  now  a  woman's  word  although  used  by  Al-Hariri  (Assembly  of  Basrah) 
and  so  Al-awwah  =  one  who  cries  from  grief  "  Awdh."  A  favourite  conversational  form 
is  "  Yehh"  with  the  aspirate  exasperated  ;  but  it  is  an  expression  of  astonishment  rather 
than  sorrow.  It  enters  into  Europe  travel-books. 

VOL.  II.  X 


322  A  If  Lay  Ink  wa  Laylah. 

away  troubled  at  heart,  and  ceased  not  walking  till  I  reached  our 
street,  when  I  heard  sounds  of  wailing,  and  asking  about  it,  was 
answered,  "Azizah,  we  found  her  dead  behind  the  door."  I  entered 
the  house,  and  when  my  mother  saw  me,  she  said,  "  Her  death 
lieth  heavy  on  thy  neck  and  may  Allah  not  acquit  thee  of  her 

blood  !  " And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased 

saying  her  permitted  say. 

Jiloto  luljcn  it  foas  tje  liMtnljrrt-nnti-ttocntittlj  Jltgfjt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  young 
merchant  continued  to  Taj  al-Muluk: — So  I  entered  the  house  and 
when  my  mother  saw  me  she  said,  "  Her  death  lieth  heavy  on  thy 
neck  and  may  Allah  not  acquit  thee  of  her  blood  !  A  plague  on 
such  a  cousin  !  "  Then  came  my  father,  and  we  laid  her  out  and 
gat  ready  her  bier  and  buried  her ;  and  we  had  recitations  of  the 
whole  Koran  over  her  tomb  and  we  abode  by  her  grave  three  days, 
after  which  we  returned  to  our  home,  and  I  grieving  for  her 
grievously.  Then  my  mother  came  to  me  and  said,  "  I  would  fain 
know  what  thou  didst  to  her,  to  break  her  heart1  for,  O  my  son,  I 
questioned  her  at  all  times  of  the  cause  of  her  complaint,  but  she 
would  tell  me  nothing  nor  let  me  know  aught  of  it.  So  Allah  upon 
thee,  tell  me  what  thou  hast  been  doing  to  her  that  she  died." 
Quoth  I,  "I  did  nothing."  Quoth  my  mother,  "Allah  avenge  her 
on  thee !  Verily  she  told  me  naught,  but  kept  her  secret  till  she 
died  of  her  love-longings  for  thee;  but  when  she  died  I  was  with 
her  and  she  opened  her  eyes  and  said  to  me : — O  wife  of  my  uncle, 
may  Allah  hold  thy  son  guiltless  of  my  blood  and  punish  him  not 
for  what  he  hath  done  by  me !  And  now  Allah  transporteth  me 
from  the  house  of  the  world  which  is  perishable  to  the  house  of 
the  other  world  which  is  eternal.  Said  I,  O  my  daughter,  Allah 
preserve  thee  and  preserve  thy  youth  !  And  as  I  questioned  her 
of  the  cause  of  her  illness,  she  made  me  no  answer ;  but  she  smiled 
and  said,  O  wife  of  my  uncle,  bid  thy  son,  whenever  he  would  go 
whither  he  goeth  every  day,  repeat  these  two  saws  at  his  going 
away : — Faith  is  fair !  Unfaith  is  foul !  For  this  is  of  my  tender 
affection  to  him,  that  I  am  solicitous  concerning  him  during  my 
lifetime  and  after  my  death.  Then  she  gave  me  somewhat  for  thee 
and  sware  me  that  I  would  not  give  it  until  I  see  thee  weeping  for 

1  In  the  text  "  burst  her  gall-bladder." 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Aztzah,  323 

her  and  lamenting  her  death.     The  thing  is  with  me  ;  and,  when  I 
have  seen  thy  case  as  I  have  said,  I  will  make  it  over  to  thee." 
41  Show  it  me,"  cried  I :  but  she  would  not.    Then  I  gave  myself  up 
to  love-delights  and  thought  no  more  of  my  cousin's  death :    for 
my  mind  was  unsettled  and  fain  would  I  have  been  with  my  lover 
the  livelong  day  and  night.1     So  hardly  had  I  perceived  the  dark- 
ness fall  when  I  betook  myself  to  the  garden,  where  I  found  the 
young  lady  sitting  on  coals  of  fire  for  much  impatience.     As  soon 
as  she  was  sure  that  she  saw  me,  she  ran  to  me  and  throwing  her 
arms  about  my  neck,  enquired  of  the  daughter  of  my  uncle.     I 
replied,  "Sooth  to  say  she  is  dead,  and  we  have  caused  Zikr- 
litanies  and  recitations  of  the  Koran  to  be  performed  for  her ;  and 
it  is  now  four  nights  and  this  be  the  fifth  since  she  is  gone."  When 
she  heard  that,  she  shrieked  aloud  and  wept  and  said,  "  Did  I  not 
tell  thee  that  thou  hast  slain  her  ?     Hadst  thou  let  me  know  of  her 
before  her  death,  I  would  have  requited  her  the  kindness  she  did 
me,  in  that  she  served  me  and  united  thee  to  me ;  for  without  her, 
we  had  never  foregathered,  we  twain,  and  I  fear  lest  some  calamity 
befal  thee  because  of  thy  sin  against  her."  Quoth  I,  "  She  acquitted 
me  of  offence  ere  she  died  ;"  and  I  repeated  to  her  what  my  mother 
had  told  me.     Quoth  she,  "  Allah  upon  thee  !  when  thou  returnest 
to  thy  mother,  learn  what  thing  she  keepeth  for  thee."     I  rejoinedr 
"  My  mother  also  said  to  me : — Before  the  daughter  of  thy  uncle 
died,  she  laid  a  charge  upon  me,  saying,  Whenever  thy  son  would 
go  whither  he  is  wont  to  go,  teach  him  these  two  saws,  Faith  is 
fair ;  Unfaith  is  foul !  "     When  my  lady  heard  this  she  exclaimed, 
"  The  mercy  of  Almighty  Allah  be  upon  her !     Indeed,  she  hath 
delivered  thee  from  me,  for  I  minded  to  do  thee  a  mischief,  but 
now  I  will  not  harm  thee  nor  trouble  thee."     I  wondered  at  this 
and  asked  her,  "  What  then  wast  thou  minded  to  do  with  me  in 
time  past  and  we  two  being  in  bond  of  love  ? "     Answered  she, 
"  Thou  art  infatuated  with  me;  for  thou  art  young  in  life  and  a  raw 
laddie ;  thy  heart  is  void  of  guile  and  thou  weetest  not  our  malice 
and  deceit.     Were  she  yet  alive,  she  would  protect  thee  ;  for  she  is 
the  cause  of  thy  preservation  and  she  hath  delivered  thee  from 
destruction.     And  now  I  charge  thee  speak  not  with  any  woman, 
neither  accost  one  of  our  sex,  be  she  young  or  be  she  old  ;   and 
again  I  say  Beware !  for  thou  art  simple  and  raw  and  knowest  not 

1  The  death  of  Azizah  is  told  with  true  Arab  pathos  and  simplicity  :  it  still  draws  tears 
from  the  eyes  of  the  Badawi,  and  I  never  read  it  without  a  "  lump  in  the  throat." 


324  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

the  wiles  of  women  and  their  malice,  and  she  who  interpreted  the 
signs  to  thee  is  dead.  And  indeed  I  fear  for  thee,  lest  thou  fall 
into  some  disgrace  and  find  none  to  deliver  thee  from  it,  now  that 
the  daughter  of  thy  uncle  is  no  more."  --  And  Shahrazad  perceived 
the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say, 

fojw  it  foas  tf>e  l^unlitrt  antr 


She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  young 
merchant  continued  to  Taj  al-Muluk  :  —  Then  the  young  lady  said 
to  me,  "  I  fear  for  thee  lest  thou  fall  into  some  disgrace  and  find 
none  to  deliver  thee  from  it.  Alas  for  thy  cousin  and  ah,  the  pity 
of  her  I  Would  I  had  known  her  before  her  death,  that  I  might 
have  requited  by  waiting  upon  her  the  fair  service  she  did  me. 
The  mercy  of  Allah  Almighty  be  upon  her,  for  she  kept  her  secret 
and  revealed  not  what  she  suffered,  and  but  for  her  thou  hadst  never 
foregathered  with  me  ;  no,  never  !  But  there  is  one  thing  I  desire 
of  thee."  I  asked,  "What  is  it  ?"  ;  and  she  answered,  "  It  is  that 
thou  bring  me  to  her  'grave,  that  I  may  visit  her  in  the  tomb 
wherein  she  is  and  write  some  couplets  thereon."  I  rejoined, 
41  To-morrow,  if  Allah  please  !  "  l  I  slept  with  her  that  night, 
and  she  ceased  not  saying  after  every  hour,  "  Would  thou  hadst 
told  me  of  thy  cousin  before  her  death  !"  And  I  asked  her,  "  What 
is  the  meaning  of  the  two  saws  she  taught  me  ?  Faith  is  fair  ! 
Unfaith  is  foul  ?  "  But  she  made  no  answer.  As  soon  as  it  was 
day  she  rose  and,  taking  a  purse  of  gold  pieces,  said  to  me,  "  Come, 
show  me  her  tomb,  that  I  may*  visit  it  and  grave  some  verses 
thereon  and  build  a  dome  over  it  and  commend  her  to  Allah's 
mercy  and  bestow  these  dinars  in  alms  for  her  soul."  I  replied, 
"  To  hear  is  to  obey  !  "  ;  and  walked  on  before  her,  whilst  she 
followed  me,  giving  alms  as  she  went  and  saying  to  all  upon  whom 
she  lavisht  bounty,  "  This  is  an  alms  for  the  soul  of  Azizah,  who 
kept  her  counsel  till  she  drank  the  cup  of  death  and  never  told 
the  secret  of  her  love."  And  she  stinted  not  thus  to  give  alms  and 
say,  "  For  Azizah's  soul,"  till  the  purse  was  empty  and  we  came 
to  the  grave.  And  when  she  looked  at  the  tomb,  she  wept  and 
threw  herself  on  it  ;  then,  pulling  out  a  chisel  of  steel  and  a  light 
hammer,  she  graved  therewith  upon  the  head-stone  in  fine  small 
characters  these  couplets  :  — 

1  Arab.  "  Inshallah  bukra  I"  a  universal  saying  which  is  the  horror  of  travellers. 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Azizah.  325 

I  past  by  a  broken  tomb  amid  a  garth  right  sheen,  •  Whereon  seven 
blooms  of  Nu'umdn1  glowed  with  cramoisic  ; 

Quoth  I,  "  Who  sleepeth  in  this  tomb  ?  "  Quoth  answering  Earth  •  "  Before  a 
lover  Hades-tombed3  bend  reverently!" 

Quoth  I,  "  May  Allah  help  thee,  O  thou  slain  of  Love,  «  And  grant  thec 
home  in  Heaven  and  Paradise-height  to  see  ! " 

Hapless  are  lovers  all  e'en  tombed  in  their  tombs,  «  Where  amid  liv- 
ing folk  the  dust  weighs  heavily  I 

Fain  would  I  plant  a  garden  blooming  round  thy  grave,  o  And  water  every 
flower  with  tear-drops  flowing  free  ! 

Then  she  turned  away  in  tears  and  I  with  her  and  returned  to  the 
garden  where  she  said  to  me,  "By  Allah!  I  conjure  thee  never 
leave  me ! "  "  To  hear  is  to  obey,"  replied  I.  Then  I  gave 
myself  wholly  up  to  her  and  paid  her  frequent  visits  :  she  was 
good  and  generous  to  me ;  and  as  often  as  I  passed  the  night  with 
her,  she  would  make  much  of  me  and  would  ask  me  of  the  two 
saws  my  cousin  Azizah  told  my  mother  and  I  would  repeat  them 
to  her.  And  matters  ceased  not  to  be  on  this  wise  and  I  continued 
for  a  whole  year  eating  and  drinking  and  enjoying  dalliance  and 
wearing  change  of  rich  raiment  until  I  waxed  gross  and  fat,  so 
that  I  lost  all  thought  of  sorrowing  and  mourning,  and  I  clean  for- 
got my  cousin  Azizah.  And  on  New  Year's  day  I  went  to  the 
bath,  where  I  refreshed  myself  and  put  on  a  suit  of  sumptuous 
clothes;  then  coming  out  I  >  drank  a  cup  of  wine  and  smelt  the 
scent  of  my  new  gear  which  was  perfumed  with  various  essences  ; 
and'  my  breast  was  broadened  thereby,  for  I  knew  not  the  tricks  of 
Fate  nor  the  changing  ways  of  Time.  When  the  hour  of  night- 
prayer  came,  I  was  minded  to  repair  to  my  lover ;  but,  being  the 
worse  for  wine,  I  knew  not  when  going  to  her  whither  I  went,  so 
my  drunkenness  turned  me  into  a  by-street  called  Syndic  Street  * 
and  the  while  I  walked  up  that  street  behold,  I  caught  sight  of  an 
old  woman  faring  with  a  lighted  taper  in  one  hand,  and  in  the  other 


1  I  have  explained  "  Nu'uman's  flower"  as  the  anemone  which  in  Grecised  Arabic  is 
"  Amimiya."     Here  they  are  strewed  over  the  tomb  ;  often  the  flowers  are  planted  in 
a  small  bed  of  mould  sunk  in  the  upper  surface. 

2  Arab.  "Barzakh"  lit.  a  bar,  a  partition:  in  the  Koran  (chapts.  xxiii.  and  xxxv.) 
the  space  or  the  place  between  death  and  resurrection  where  souls  are  stowed  away. 
It  corresponds  after  a  fashion  with  the  classical  Hades  and  the  Limbus  (Limbo)  of 
Christendom,  e.g.  Limbus  patrum,  infantum,  fatuorum.     But  it  must  not  be  confounded 
with  Al-A'araf,  the  Moslem  purgatory. 

3  Arab.  "Zukak  al-Nakib,"  the  latter  word  has  been  explained  as  a  clue/,  leader, 
head  man. 


326  A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah* 

a  folded  letter. And  Shahrazad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and 

ceased  saying  her  permitted  say 

Jioto  tofien  it  foas  tje  Jfcuntrtrtr  anto  STforntB-gwontJ  jStgtjt, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  young 
merchant,  whose  name  was  Aziz,  continued  to  Taj  al-Muluk : — 
And  when  I  entered  the  street  called  Syndic  Street  behold,  I; 
caught  sight  of  an  old  woman  walking  with  a  lighted  taper  in  one 
hand  and  in  the  other  a  folded  letter  and  I  drew  near  her  and  lo  ! 
she  was  weeping  and  repeating  these  couplets  : — 

O  glad-news  bearer  well  come  !    Welcome  !  Hail !  o  How  sweet  thy  speech 

to  me,  what  treat  thy  tale  : 
O  messenger  from  him  whose  weal  I  love,  o   Cod  bless  thee  long  as  breathes 

soft  morning-gale ! 

Now  when  she  saw  me  she  asked,  "  O  my  son  !  canst  thou  read  ? " ; 
and  I  answered,  of  my  officiousness,  "  Yes,  old  naunty  !  "  Rejoined 
she,  "  Then  take  this  letter  and  read  it  to  me."  And  when  she 
handed  it  to  me,  I  took  it  and  unfolding  it  read  it  to  her  and  be- 
hold it  was  from  an  absent  man  to  his  friends  and  lovers  whom  he 
greeted  ;  and,  when  she  heard  its  purport,  she  rejoiced  at  the  good 
tidings  and  blessed  me,  saying,  "  Allah  dispel  thine  anxiety,  even 
as  thou  hast  dispelled  mine !  "  Then  she  took  the  letter  and  walked 
on.  Meanwhile,  I  was  urged  by  a  call  of  nature  and  sat  down  on 
my  heels  to  make  water.1  When  I  had  ended  I  stood  up  and  wiped 
the  orifice  with  a  pebble  and  then,  letting  down  my  clothes,  I  was 
about  to  wend  my  way,  when  suddenly  the  old  woman  came  up  to 
me  again  and,  bending  down  over  my  hand, kissed  it  and  said,  "O 
my  master  !  the  Lord  give  thee  joy  of  thy  youth  !  I  entreat  thee 
to  walk  with  me  a  few  steps  as  far  as  yonder  door,  for  I  told  them 

1  Moslems  never  stand  up  at  such  times,  for  a  spray  of  urine  would  make  their  clothes 
ceremonially  impure  :  .hence  the  scrupulous  will  break  up  with  stick  or  knife  the  hard 
ground  in  front  of  them.  A  certain  pilgrim  was  reported  to  have  made  this  blunder 
which  is  hardly  possible  in  Moslem  dress.  A  high  personage  once  asked  me  if  it  was 
true  that  he  killed  a  man  who  caught  him  in  a  standing  position  ;  and  I  found  to  my 
surprise  that  the  absurd  scandal  was  already  twenty  years  old.  After  urining  the  Moslem 
wipes  the  os  penis  with  one  to  three  bits  of  stone,  clay  or  handfuls  of  earth,  and  he  must 
perform  Wuzu  before  he  can  pray.  Tournefort  (Voyage  au  Levant  iii.  335)  tells  a 
pleasant  story  of  certain  Christians  at  Constantinople  who  powdered  with  "  Poivre- 
tt'Jnde"  the  stones  in  a  wall  where  the  Moslems  were  in  the  habit  of  rubbing  the  os 
fenii  by  way  of  wiping.  The  same  author  (ii.  336)  strongly  recommends  a  translation  of 
Rabelais'  Toicheculative  chapter  (Lib.  i.,  chapt.  13)  for  the  benefit  of  Mohammedans. 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Azizak.  327 

what  thou  didst  read  to  me  of  the  letter,  and  they  believe  me  not ; 
so  come  with  me  two  steps  and  read  them  the  letter  from  behind 
the  door  and  accept  the  prayers  of  a  righteous  woman."  I  enquired, 
"  What  is  the  history  of  this  letter  ? ",  and  she  replied,  "  O  my  son, 
this  letter  is  from  my  son,  who  hath  been  absent  for  a  term  of  ten 
years.  He  set  out  with  a  stock  of  merchandise  and  tarried  long  in 
foreign  parts,  till  we  lost  hope  of  him  and  supposed  him  to  be  dead. 
Now  after  all  that  delay  cometh  this  letter  from  him,  and  he  hath 
a  sister  who  weepeth  for  him  night  and  day ;  so  I  said  to  her,  He 
is  well  and  all  right.  But  she  will  not  believe  me  and  declares, 
There  is  no  help  but  thou  bring  me  one  who  will  read  this  letter  in 
my  presence,  that  my  heart  may  be  at  rest  and  my  mind  at  ease, 
Thou  knowest,  O  my  son,  that  all  who  love  are  wont  to  think  evil : 
so  be  good  enough  to  go  with  me  and  read  to  her  this  letter,  stand- 
ing behind  the  curtain,  whilst  I  call  his. sister  to  listen  within  the 
door,  so  shalt  thou  dispel  our  heed  and  fulfil  our  need.  Verily 
quoth  the  Apostle  of  Allah  (whom  Allah  bless  and  preserve  !)  : — 
Whoso  easeth  the  troubled  of  one  of  the  troubles  of  this  troublous 
world,  Allah  will  ease  him  of  an  hundred  troubles ;  and  accord- 
ing to  another  tradition  : — Whoso  easeth  his  brother  of  one  of 
the  troubles  of  this  troublous  world,  Allah  shall  relieve  him  of 
seventy-and-two  troubles  on  the  Day  of  Resurrection.  And  I 
have  betaken  myself  to  thee ;  so  disappoint  me  not."  Replied  I, 
"  To  hear  is  to  obey  :  do  thou  go  before  me  ! "  So  she  walked  on 
devancing  me  and  I  followed  her  a  little  way,  till  she  came  to  the 
gate  of  a  large  and  handsome  mansion  whose  door  was  plated  with 
copper.1  I  stood  behind  the  door,  whilst  the  old  woman  cried  out 
in  Persian,  and  ere  I  knew  it  a  damsel  ran  up  with  light  and  nimble 
step.  She  had  tucked  up  her  trousers  to  her  knees,  so  that  I  saw  a 
pair  of  calves  that  confounded  thinker  and  sighter,  and  the  maid 
herself  was  as  saith  the  poet  describing  her : — 

O  thou  who  barest  leg-calf,  better  to  suggest  o  For  passion-madded  amourist 

better  things  above  ! 
Towards  its  lover  doth  the  bowl  go  round  and  run ;  o  Cup « and  cup-bearer 

only  drive  us  daft  with  love.* 

1  Arab.  "Nuhas  ahmar,"  lit.  red  brass. 

2  The  cup  is  that  between  the  lady's  legs. 

3  A  play  upon  "  Sale  "  =  calf,  or  leg,  and  "  Said,"  a  cup-bearer.    The  going  round 
(Tawaf)  and  the  running  (Sa'f)  allude  to  the  circumambulation  of  the  Ka'abah,  and  the 
running  between  Mount  Safa  and  Marwah  (Pilgrimage  ii.  58,  and  iii.  343).     A  religious 
Moslem  would  hold  the  allusion  highly  irreverent. 


328  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

Now  these  legs  were  like  two  pillars  of  alabaster  adorned  with 
anklets  of  gold,  wherein  were  set  stones  of  price.  And  the  damsel 
had  tucked  up  the  end  of  her  gown  under  her  arm-pit  and  had 
rolled  up  her  sleeves  to  the  elbow,  so  that  I  could  see  her  white 
wrists  whereon  were  two  pairs  of  bracelets  with  clasps  of  great 
pearls  ;  and  round  her  neck  was  a  collar  of  costly  gems.  Her  ears 
were  adorned  with  pendants  of  pearls  and  on  her  head  she  wore  a 
kerchief1  of  brocade,  brand-new  and  broidered  with  jewels  of  price. 
And  she  had  thrust  the  skirt  of  her  shift  into  her  trousers-string 
being  busy  with  some  household  business.  So  when  I  saw  her  in 
this  undress,  I  was  confounded  at  her  beauty,  for  she  was  like  a 
shining  sun.  Then  she  said,  with  soft,  choice  speech,  never  heard  I 
sweeter,  "  O  my  mother !  is  this  he  who  cometh  to  read  the  letter?" 
"  It  is,"  replied  the  old  woman ;  and  she  put  out  her  hand  to  me 
with  the  letter.  Now  between  her  and  the  door  was  a  distance  of 
about  half  a  rod  2 ;  so  I  stretched  forth  my  hand  to  take  the  letter 
from  her  and  thrust  head  and  shoulders  within  the  door,  thinking 
to  draw  near  her  and  read  the  letter  when,  before  I  knew  what  her 
design  was,  the  old  woman  butted  her  head  against  my  back  and 
pushed  me  forwards  with  the  letter  in  my  hand,  so  that  ere  I  could 
take  thought  I  found  myself  in  the  middle  of  the  hall  far  beyond 
the  vestibule.  Then  she  entered,  faster  than  a  flash  of  blinding 

leven,  and  had  naught  to  do  but  to  shut  the  door. And  Shah- 

razad  perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted 
say. 

ttfofo  foljen  ft  foas  t!)e  f^unfcrtfj  anb  tEfotnt^tjjttfj  Kigfit, 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  youth 
Aziz  pursued  to  Taj  al-Muluk  : — When  the  old  woman  pushed  me 
forwards  I  found  myself,  ere  I  could  think,  inside  the  vestibule  ; 
and  the  old  woman  entered  faster  than  a  flash  of  blinding  leven 
and  had  naught  to  do  but  to  shut  the  door.  When  the  girl  saw 
me  in  the  vestibule,  she  came  up  to  me  and  strained  me  to  her 
bosom,  and  threw  me  to  the  floor ;  then  she  sat  astraddle  upon  my 
breast  and  kneaded  my  belly  with  her  fingers,  till  I  well-nigh  lost 


1  Lane  (i.  614)  never  saw  a  woman  wearing  such  kerchief  which  is  deshabille.     It  is 
either  spread  over  the  head  or  twisted  turband-wise. 

2  The  "  Kasabah  "  was  about  two  fathoms  of  long  measure,  and  sometimes  12$  feet ; 
but  the  length  has  been  reduced. 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Azizah.  329 

my  senses.  Thereupon  she  took  me  by  the  hand  and  led  me, 
unable  to  resist  for  the  violence  of  her  pressure,  through  seven 
vestibules,  whilst  the  old  woman  forewent  us  with  the  lighted 
candle,  till  we  came  to  a  great  saloon  with  four  estrades  whereon 
a  horseman  might  play  Polo.1  Here  she  released  me,  saying, 
"  Open  thine  eyes."  So  I  opened  them  still  giddy  for  the  excess 
of  her  embracing  and  pressing,  and  saw  that  the  whole  saloon  was 
built  of  the  finest  marbles  and  alabasters,  and  all  its  furniture  was 
of  silk  and  brocade  even  to  the  cushions  and  mattrasses.  Therein 
also  were  two  benches  of  yellow  brass  and  a  couch  of  red  gold,  set 
with  pearls  and  precious  stones,  befitting  none  save  Kings  like 
thyself.  And  off  the  saloon  were  smaller  sitting  rooms ;  and  the 
whole  place  was  redolent  of  wealth.  Then  she  asked,  "  O  Aziz, 
which  is  liefer  to  thee  life  or  death?"  "Life,"  answered  I;  and 
she  said,  "  If  life  be  liefer  to  thee,  marry  me."  Quoth  I,  "  Indeed 
I  should  hate  to  marry  the  like  of  thee."  Quoth  she,  "If  thou 
marry  me  thou  wilt  at  least  be  safe  from  the  daughter  of  Dalilah 
the  Wily  One."  2  I  asked,  "And  who  be  that  daughter  of  the  Wily 
One  ?  "  Whereupon  she  laughed  and  replied, "  'Tis  she  who  hath 
companied  with  thee  this  day  for  a  year  and  four  months  (may 
the  Almighty  destroy  and  afflict  her  with  one  worse  than  herself!). 
By  Allah,  there  liveth  not  a  more  perfidious  than  she.  How  many 
men  hath  she  not  slain  before  thee  and  what  deeds  hath  she  not 
done.  Nor  can  I  understand  how  thou  hast  been  all  the  time  in 
her  company,  yet  she  hath  not  killed  thee  nor  done  thee  a  mis- 
chief." When  I  heard  her  words,  I  marvelled  with  exceeding 
marvel  and  said,  "  O  my  lady,  who  made  thee  to  know  her  ? " 

1  "  Bat  and  ball,"  or  hockey  on  horseback  (Polo)  is  one  of  the  earliest  Persian  games 
as  shown  by  every  illustrated  copy  of  Firdausi's  "  Shahndmeh."    This  game  was  played 
with  a  Kurrah  or  small  hand-ball  and  a  long  thin  bat  crooked  at  the  end  called  in 
Persian  Chaugdn  and  in  Arabic  Saulajan.     Another  sense  of  the  word  is  given  in  the 
Burhan-i-Ka"ti,  translated  by  Vullers  (Lex.  Persico-Latinum),  a  large  bandy  with  bent 
head  to  which  is  hung  an  iron  ball,  also  called  Kaukabah  (our  "morning-star")  and  like 
the  umbrella  it  denotes  the  grandees  of  the  court.     The  same  Kaukabah  paiticularly 
distinguished  one  of  the  Marquesses  of  Waterford.      This  Polo  corresponds  with  the 
folliculus,  the  pallone,  the  baloun-game  (moyen  age)  of  Europe,  where  the  horse  is  not 
such  a  companion  of  man  ;  and  whereof  the  classics  sang : — 

Folle  decet  pueros  ludere,  folle  senes. 

In  these  days  we  should  spell  otherwise  the  "  folle  "of  seniors  playing  at  the  ball  or 
lawn-tennis. 

2  "  Dalil"  means  a  guide;  "  Dalilah,"  a  woman  who  misguides,  a  bawd.    See  the 
Tale  of  Dalilah.  the  Crafty,  Night  dcxcviii. 


33O  A  If  Laylak  wa  Laylah. 

Said  she,  "  I  know  her  as  the  age  knoweth  its  calamities  ;  but  now  I 
would  fain  have  thee  tell  me  all  that  hath  passed  between  you  two, 
that  I  may  ken  the  cause  of  thy  deliverance  from  her."  So  I  told  her 
all  that  had  happened  between  us,  including  the  story  of  my  cousin 
Azizah.  She  expressed  her  pity  when  she  heard  of  the  death,  and 
her  eyes  ran  over  with  tears  and  she  clapt  hand  on  hand  and  cried 
out,  '*  Her  youth  was  lost  on  Allah's  way,1  and  may  the  Lord  bless 
thee  for  her  good  works !  By  Allah,  O  Aziz,  she  who  died  for 
thee  was  the  cause  of  thy  preservation  from  the  daughter  of  Dali- 
lah  the  Wily ;  and,  but  for  her,  thou  hadst  been  lost.  And  now 
she  is  dead  I  fear  for  thee  from  the  Crafty  One's  perfidy  and  mis- 
chief ;  but  my  throat  is  choking  and  I  cannot  speak."  Quoth  I, 
"  Ay,  by  Allah :  all  this  happened  even  as  thou  sayest."  And  she 
shook  her  head  and  cried,  "  There  liveth  not  this  day  the  like  of 
Azizah."  I  continued,  "  And  on  her  death  bed  she  bade  me  repeat 
to  my  lover  these  two  saws: — Faith  is  fair!  Unfaith  is  foul!" 
When  she  heard  me  say  this,  she  exclaimed,  "  O  Aziz,  by  Allah, 
those  same  words  saved  thee  from  dying  by  her  hand  ;  and  now 
my  heart  is  at  ease  for  thee  from  her,  for  she  will  never  kill  thee ; 
and  the  daughter  of  thy  uncle  preserved  thee  during  her  lifetime 
and  after  her  death.  By  Allah,  I  have  desired  thee  day  after  day, 
but  could  not  get  at  thee  till  this  time  when  I  tricked  thee  and 
outwitted  thee ;  for  thou  art  a  raw  youth 2  and  knowest  not  the 
wiles  of  young  women  nor  the  deadly  guile  of  old  women." 
Rejoined  I,  "  No,  by  Allah! "  Then  said  she  to  me,  "  Be  of  good 
cheer  and  eyes  clear ;  the  dead  hath  found  Allah's  grace,  and  the 
live  shall  be  in  good  case.  Thou  art  a  handsome  youth  and  I  do 
not  desire  thee  but  according  to  the  ordinance  of  Allah  and  His 
Apostle  (on  whom  be  salutation  and  salvation  !).  Whatever  thou 
requirest  of  money  and  stuff,  thou  shalt  have  forthright  without 
stint,  and  I  will  not  impose  any  toil  on  thee,  no,  never  ! ;  for  there 
is  with  me  always  bread  baked  hot  and  water  in  pot.  All  I  need 
of  thee  is  that  thou  do  with  me  even  as  the  cock  doth."  I  asked, 
*  And  what  doth  the  cock  ?  "  Upon  this  she  laughed  and  clapped 
her  hands  and  fell  over  on  her  back  for  excess  of  merriment :  then 
she  sat  up  and  smiled  and  said,  "  O  light  of  my  eyes,  really  dost 
thou  not  know  what  cock's  duty  is  ?  "  "  No,  by  Allah  ! "  replied  I, 


1  i.e.  she  was  a  martyr. 

2  Arab.  "Ghashfm"a  popular  and  insulting  term,  our  «'  Johnny  Raw."    Its  use  is 
shown  in  Pilgrimage  i  no. 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Azizah.  331 

and  she,  "The  cock's  duty  is  to  eat  and  drink  and  tread."  I  was 
abashed  at  her  words  and  asked,  "  Is  that  the  cock's  duty  ?  "  "  Yes," 
answered  she ;  "  and  all  I  ask  of  thee  now  is  to  gird  thy  loins  and 
strengthen  thy  will  and  futter  thy  best."  Then  she  clapped  her 
hands  and  cried  out,  saying,  "  O  my  mother,  bring  forward  those 
who  are  with  thee."  And  behold,  in  came  the  old  woman  accom- 
panied by  four  lawful  witnesses,  and  carrying  a  veil  of  silk.  Then 
she  lighted  four  candles,  whilst  the  witnesses  saluted  me  and  sat 
down  ;  and  the  girl  veiled  herself  with  the  veil  and  deputed  one  of 
them  to  execute  the  contract  on  her  behalf.  So  they  wrote  out  the 
marriage-bond  and  she  testified  to  have  received  the  whole  sum 
settled  upon  her,  both  the  half  in  advance  and  the  half  in  arrears  ; 
and  that  she  was  indebted  to  me  in  the  sum  of  ten  thousand 

dirhams. And    Shahrazad   perceived    the  dawn   of   day   and 

ceased  saying  her  permitted   say. 


fofjen  tt  foaa  tfie  l^unlJtelJ  anto  ^foento-fourti)  jNTigf)tt 

She  said,  It  hath  reached  me,  O  auspicious  King,  that  the  young 
merchant  continued  to  Taj  al-Muluk  : — When  they  wrote  out  the 
marriage-contract,  she  testified  to  having  received  the  whole  sum 
settled  upon  her,  the  half  in  advance  and  the  half  in  arrears  and  that 
she  was  indebted  to  me  in  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dirhams.  She 
paid  the  witnesses  their  wage  and  they  withdrew  whence  they 
came.  Thereupon  she  arose  and  cast  off  her  clothes  and  stood  in 
a  chemise  of  fine  silk  edged  with  gold-lace,  after  which  she  took 
off  her  trousers  and  seized  my  hand  and  led  me  up  to  the  couch, 
saying,  "  There  is  no  sin  in  a  lawful  put-in."  She  lay  down  on  the 
couch  outspread  upon  her  back  ;  and,  drawing  me  on  to  her  breast, 
heaved  a  sigh  and  followed  it  up  with  a  wriggle  by  way  of  being 
coy.  Then  she  pulled  up  the  shift  above  her  breasts,  and  when  I 
saw  her  in  this  pose,  I  could  not  withhold  myself  from  thrusting  it 
into  her,  after  I  had  sucked  her  lips,  whilst  she  whimpered  and 
shammed  shame  and  wept  when  no  tears  came,  and  then  said 
she,  "  O  my  beloved,  do  it,  and  do  thy  best  1 "  Indeed  the  case 
reminded  me  of  his  saying,  who  said  : — 

When  I  drew  up  her  shift  from  the  roof  of  her  coynte,  o  I  found  it  as  strait  as 

my  mind  and  my  money  : 
So  I  drove  it  half-way,  and  she  sighed  a  loud  sigh  :  o  Quoth  I,  u  Why   thit 

sigh  ?"  :  "For  the  rest  of  it,  honey  ! " 


332  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 

And  she  repeated, "  O  my  beloved,  let  the  finish  be  made  for  I  am 
thine  handmaid.  My  life  on  thee,  up  with  it !  give  it  me,  all  of 
it !  that  I  may  take  it  in  my  hand  and  thrust  it  into  my  very 
vitals ! "  And  she  ceased  not  to  excite  me  with  sobs  and  sighs 
and  amorous  cries  in  the  intervals  of  kissing  and  clasping  until 
amid  our  murmurs  of  pleasure  we  attained  the  supreme  delight 
and  the  term  we  had  in  sight.  We  slept  together  till  the  morning, 
when  I  would  have  gone  out ;  but  lo  !  she  came  up  to  me,  laughing,, 
and  said,  "  So  !  So !  thinkest  thou  that  going  into  the  Hammam  is 
the  same  as  going  out  P1  Dost  thou  deem  me  to  be  the  like  of  the 
daughter  of  Dalilah  the  Wily  One  ?  Beware  of  such  a  thought, 
for  thou  art  my  husband  by  contract  and  according  to  law.  If  thou 
be  drunken  return  to  thy  right  mind,  and  know  that  the  house 
wherein  thou  art  openeth  but  one  day  in  every  year.  Go  down  and 
look  at  the  great  door."  So  I  arose  and  went  down  and  found 
the  door  locked  and  nailed  up  and  returned  and  told  her  of  the 
locking  and  nailing.  "  O  Aziz,"  said  she,  "  We  have  in  this  house 
flour,  grain,  fruits  and  pomegranates;  sugar,  meat,  sheep,  poultry 
and  so  forth  enough  for  marty  years  ;  and  the  door  will  not  be 
opened  till  after  the  lapse  of  a  wholq  twelvemonth  and  well  I  weet 
thou  shalt  not  find  thyself  without  this  house  till  then."  Quoth  I, 
"  There  is  no  Majesty,  and  there  is  no  Might  save  in  Allah,  the 
Glorious,  the  Great ! "  "  And  how  can  this  harm  thee,"  rejoined 
she  ;  "  seeing  thou  knowest  cock's  duty,  whereof  I  told  thee  ? " 
Then  she  laughed  and  I  laughed  too,  and  I  conformed  to  what  she 
said  and  abode  with  her,  doing  cock's  duty  and  eating  and  drinking 
and  futtering  for  a  year  of  full  twelve  months,  during  which  time 
she  conceived  by  me,  and  I  was  blessed  with  a  babe  by  her.  On 
the  New  Year's  day  I  heard  the  door  opened  and  behold,  men 
came  in  with  cates  and  flour  and  sugar.  Upon  this,  I  would  have 
gone  out  but  my  wife  said,  "  Wait  till  supper-tide  and  go  out  even 
as  thou  earnest  in."  So  I  waited  till  the  hour  of  night-prayer  and 
was  about  to  go  forth  in  fear  and  trembling,  when  she  stopped  me, 
saying,  "  By  Allah,  I  will  not  let  thee  go  until  thou  swear  to  come 
back  this  night  before  the  closing  of  the  door."  I  agreed  to  this, 
and  she  swore  me  a  solemn  oath  on  Blade  and  Book,2  and  the  oath 
of  divorce  to  boot,  that  I  would  return  to  her.  Then  I  left  her  and 


1  Bathers  pay  on  leaving  the  Hammam  ;  all  enter  without  paying. 
*  i.e.  she  swore  him  upon  his    sword  and  upon  the  Koran :    a  loaf  of  bread   is 
sometimes  added.     See  Lane  (1.615). 


Tale  of  Aziz  and  Azizah.  333 

going  straight  to  the  garden,  found  the  door  open  as  usual ;  whereat 
I  was  angry  and  said  to  myself,  "  I  have  been  absent  this  whole 
year  and  come  here  unawares  and  find  the  place  open  as  of  wont ! 
I  wonder  is  the  damsel  still  here  as  before  ?  I  needs  must  enter 
and  see  before  I  go  to  my  mother,  more  by  reason  that  it  is  now 

nightfall."     So  I   entered  the   flower-garden And   Shahrazad 

perceived  the  dawn  of  day  and  ceased  to  say  her  permitted  say. 


INDEX. 


AARON'S  ROD  .... 
Aba,  Aba'  ah  =  cloak  of  hair  .  . 
Abad  =  eternity  without  end  .  . 
Abbasides  (descendants  of  the  Pro- 
phet's uncle) 


PAGE 

242 
133 

205 

61 

-  (black  banners  and  dress)  64  ;  292 
Abd  al-  Aziz  (Caliph)                          .  166 
Abd  al-Malik  (Caliph)      .         .      77  ;  167 
Abhak  =  Allah  bless  him  and  keep 

(see  Sal'am)        ....  24 

Abraham  (an  Imam  to  mankind)       .  203 

-  (place  of)  .        .         .         .  272 
Abu  Bakr  (Caliph)  .        .         .    167  ;  197 
Abu  Hanifah  (founder  of  the  Senior 

School)       .....  207 

-  (scourged  for  refusing  to 
take  office)  .....  210 

Abu  Hazim  .....  205 

Abtilshak  (Harun's  cup-companion)  302 
Abu  Liiluah  (murderer  of  Caliph 

Omar)  .....  162 

Abu  Mvisa  al-Ashari  .  .  .  ib. 

Abu  Riyah  =  father  of  winds,  a  toy  .  93 

Abu  Zarr  (companion  of  the  Prophet)  200 
Acquit  me  of  responsibility  =  pardon 

me     ......  76 

y^olipyla           .....  IOI 

Afridun  (Furaydun)  absurd  name  for 

a  Greek  king  ....  82 

Agha  =  sir,  gentleman,  to  a  Eunuch  50 

Ahmad  :=  the  praised  one,  Mohammed  226 
Ahmad  bin  Hanbal  (founder  of  the 

fourth  Moslem  School  .  .  204 

Ahnaf  (A1-)  bin  Kays  .  .  .  160 


Ahr  (ihr)  =  fornication,  in  the  sense 

of  irreligion  ....  258 
Akhzar  (green,  grey,  fresh,  applied  to 

cheek-down)  ....  292 

Ali  (Caliph),  his  deeds  of  prowess  .  108 
Alam  (not  Ilm)  al-Din  =  flag  of  the 

faith 19 

Alexander  (of  the  Koran)  not  to  be 

confounded  with  the  Macedonian.  199 
Alms  to  reverend  men  for  securing 

their  prayers  .  .  .  71 

Allah  (names,  by  Edwin  Arnold)  .  28 

Wa'llahi    tayyib    (exclamation 

of  the  Egyptian  Moslem  .  .  34 

Allaho  akbar  (as  a  war-cry)  .  .  89 

Amazon  (a  favourite  in  folk-lore)  .  96 
Amma  ba'ad  =  but  after,  initiatory 

formula  .  ..  •  "  ,,  .  37 

Anemone  on  a  tomb  .  .  .  325 
Anfs  al-Jalfs  =  the  Cheerer  of  the 

Companion  •  •  .  5 
Anklet-ring  and  ear-drops  (erotic 

meaning  of)  ,  .  .  -318 

Arab  exaggerates  generosity  .  .  36 

shouting     under     his     ruler's 

palace                 •        .        .        •  39 

Temperament.        .        54,  101,  181 

Cap  (Turtur)   .        .         .        .143 

Derivation  of  the  name    .        .  140 

Arafat  day 169 

Araki  (capparis  shrub)      ...  54 
Ardeshir  (Artaxerxes),  three  Persian 

Kings  of  the  name      .        .        .156 

Arman  =  Armenia  ....  273 


336 


A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 


Ashhab  :=  grey- white  .  .  .116 
Aslah  =  head-kerchief  .  .  .  59 
Ass  held  ill-omened  ...  25 
Attraction  of  like  to  like  .  .  .  296 
Awah!  Awah  =  Alas!  Alas!  .  .321 
Aydt  (Coranic  verses)  .  .  .  242 
Aylulah  (slumbering  after  morning 

prayers) 178 

Ayyub  =  Job 45 

Azal  =  eternity  without  beginning  .  205 
Azdn  (call  to  prayer)  .  .  .  306 
Azghan  =  camel  litters  .  .  .  282 
Azfz  (f.  Azizah)  =  dear,  excellent, 

highly  prized  ....  298 
Azrar  (buttons)  .  .  .  .318 

BADAWI  not  used  in  the  Koran  for 
Desert  Arab       ....     140 

• bonnet      .        .        .        .143 

a  fool  as  well  as  a  rogue    .     146 

Bad-i-Saba  =  breeze  o'  the  morn  .  181 
Bakh  !  Bakh  !  =  bravo !  brava  !  .151 
Baklamah  =  almond-pastry  .  .311 
Balah  =  green  date  .  .  .314 
Banu  '1-Asfar  (people  of  the  yellow 

faces) 220 

Banu  'Uzrah  (tribe  famous  for  love- 

passioh) 304 

Barr  al-Manakhah  in  Al-Medinah    .     139 
Barsh  =  matting  18 
Barzakh  =  bar,  partition,  Hades      .     325 
Bathers  pay  on  leaving  the  Ham- 
mam           332 

Batinl  =  gnostic  ....  29 
Batrak  (Batrik)  =  patriarcha  .  .  89 
Batrfk  (Bitrik)  =  patricius  .  .  ib. 
Bayt  al-Mukaddas  =  Jerusalem  .  132 
Bayzatdn  =  testicles  ;  egg-story  .  55 
Belle  passion  in  the  East ...  62 
Bhang  (its  kinds  and  use)  .  .123 
Bika'a  =  low-land  ....  109 
Bilal  (first  Muazzin)  ....  306 
Bilkis  and  her  throne  ...  79 
Birth-stool  (Kursf  al-wiladat)  .  .  80 
Bishr  al-Hafi  (Barefoot)  .  .  .  203 
Biting  the  finger  ends  (not  nails)  sign 

of  confusion,  etc.  ...  38 
Bismillah  parodied  ....  223 
Black  (colour  of  the  Abbaside  banner)  292 
Boccaccio  quoted  .  .  .  .112 
Brother  of  Folly  =  a  very  fool  .  279 


Brotherhood  of  futurity  =  lookers 
out  for  a  better  world  .  .  . 

Buka'ah  =  Coelesyria       .         .         . 

Bukhait  =  little  good  luck       .         . 

Bukhti  (dromedaries)         .         .         . 

Bull  (followers  preceding)         .         . 

Burka'=  nose-bag  .        ... 

Bursting  of  the  gall-bladder  =  our 
breaking  of  the  heart  .  .  . 

Burying  a  rival          .... 

Buttons  (azrar)          .         .        .        . 


CABBALA  =  Spiritual  Sciences        . 

Caliphs  : 

Abu  Bakr          .        .         .      167, 
Abd  al-Aziz      .         .         .         . 

Abd  al-Malik    .        .        .        77, 
Ali  ...... 

Hisham  bin  Abd  al-Malik          . 
Mansur  (A1-)    .        .       142,  158, 
Mu'awiyah        .        .        .      160, 
Omar       ....      158, 

Othman    ..... 

Walfd  bin  Marwan    .        .        . 

Caitiff  =  Captivus  .... 

Camel-load  =  Ibs.    300,    for    long 
journeys  Ibs.  250         .         . 

-  men  do  not  accept  drafts  on 
futurity      .        .         .         .         . 

Cannibal  tribes  in  Central  Africa      . 

Caravan  (each  one's  place  to  be  kept 

in)      ...... 

Carob  (Cassia  fistularis)    .        .         . 

-  bean,  emblem  of  constancy     . 
Carrier-pigeons        .... 
Cesarea   ...... 

-  "of  Armenia"    .        .        . 
Chaff       ...... 

Chewing  a  document  that  none  might 

see  it  after  .  ...» 
Chess  and  chessmen  .  .  . 
China-ware  displayed  on  shelves  . 
Clapping  hands  preliminary  ^o  a 

wrestling-bout  .  .  .  - 
Clerical  error  of  Bulak  Edition  . 
Climate  (water  and  air)  ... 
Coffee  (see  Kahwah)  .  .  . 
Cohen  (Kahin)  ==  diviner,  priest, 

esp.  Jewish  .  .  .  . 
Continuation  in  dignities  requested 

by  office-holders  from  a  new  ruler 


197 
109 
48 
177 
98 
52 

322 

58 

318 

151 

197 
166 
167 
108 
170 
210 
161 
155 
163 
167 
io§ 

45 


48 


241 
315 

247 
77 

27: 
15 

30 

104 

52 


261 
221 


Index. 


337 


Coptic  convents 


86 


visitations    to,    still 


customary  .....  no 

Copulation,  praying  before  or  after  161 

Coral  (name  of  slave-girl)  .  .  101 
Cousin  (term  of  familiarity  =  our 

"coz.")  .....  43 
Cursing  intelligible,  swearing  mean- 

ingless, although  English  .  .312 

Cup  and  cup-bearer  ....  327 

Cutting  (alluding  to  the  scymitar)  .  231 


=  Decianus  .  .  .  244 
Dalil  =  guide  ;  f.  DaHlah  =  mis- 

guiding woman,  bawd  .  .  329 

Dandan  (N.P.)  =  tooth  ...  83 

Danik  =  sixth  of  a  drachma  .  .  204 
Ddud=:  David  .  .  .  .286 

David  (makes  coats  of  mail)  .  .  286 

Dawn-breeze  .....  181 

Daylamites  .....  94 

Deeds  of  prowess  not  exaggerated  .  108 

Destructiveness  of  slaves  .  .  .  55 

Devil  (the,  was  sick,  etc.)  .  .  264 
Dirds  =  thrashing-sled  .  .  .108 

Dirham  -weight  =  48  grains  avoir  .  316 
Doomsday,  horrors  of,  come  upon  a 

man   ......  232 

Door-hinges    .....  214 

Dove  and  turtle-dove  female  .  .  23 
Down  (of  the  cheek)  .  .  .246 

Dozd  o  Kdzi  (Persian  book)  .  .  55 
Draught  of  air  (Zug)  feared  by  Orien- 

tals   ......  9 

Drawbridges  in  Coptic  convents  .  94 

Drinking  in  the  dark  disliked  .  .  59 

"  Drugging  "  not  a  Badawi  sentiment  122 
Dubarah  (Dubard)  =  Dubrovnik, 

Ragusa  .....  219 
Dung  (used  as  fuel,  etc.)  .  .  .149 

EAR-DROP  =  penis  .  .  .318 

Eedgdh  see  Idgah  ....  202 

Eggs  for  testicles  ...  55 
Emancipation,  the  greater  =  pardon 

for  sins  or  holy  death  .  .  .165 

Elephant  (derivation  of  the  word)  .  104 
Enemy  his  offered  hand  to  be  kissed 

or  cut  off  .....  142 
Eunuchs,  if  without  testes  only, 

highly  prized  ....  50 
VOL.  II. 


Expiration  of  oaths  . 
Eyes,  hot  =  full  of  tears  . 
becoming  white  =  blind  . 


1 86 

99 

283 

156 


FADAISES  of  a  blue  stocking    . 
Falling  on  the  back  a  fair  fall  in 

wrestling 9* 

Familiarity  between  the  great  and 

paupers 3* 

— —  of  girls  with  black  slave- 
boys  49 

Farj  =  slit ;  Zawi  '1-Furuj  =  slit  ones  ib. 

Faisakh  =  three  English  miles         .  1 14 

Faylulah  =  slumbering  after  sunset  .  178 

Fass  (fiss,  fuss)  =r  bezel ;  hillock      .  97 

Finger  in  mouth  (sign  of  grief) .         .  3°* 

Fish  begins  to  stink  at  the  head        .  168 

Fitnah  =  seduction,  charmer  .  .  76 
Fits  of  religious  enthusiasm  .  .132 

Flatterers  (the  worst  of  foes)    .        .  1 1 

Flowers  of  speech   .  88 

Folk  follow  their  King's  faith  ...  157 
Fountain-bowl,  ornamented  with 

mosaic,  etc 310 

«'  Fundamentals  (Usul)  remembered  " 

=  the  business  is  not  forgotten    .  15 

Funerals  (meritorious  to  accompany)  46 
Furaydun  (see  Afridun)  .  .  .82. 

GARDENERS  touchy  on  the  point  of 

mated  visitors  ....  22 
Generosity  an  Arab's  ideal  because 

the  reverse  of  his  nature  .  .  36 

Ghdbah  =  thicket  ....  85 

Ghashfm  r=  « '  Johnny  Raw  "  .  .  330 
Ghaylulah  =  slumbering  in  the 

morning  .  «  ,  •  .  178 

Ghazd  (Artemesia,  a  desert  shrub)  .  24 
Ghazbdn  (N.  P.)  =  an  angry,  violent 

man 125 

Ghdzi  =  fighter  for  the  faith  .  .  240 

Ghazwah  =  raid,  foray,  razzia  .  217 
Ghussah  =  calamity  which  chokei, 

wrath 147 

Glance  compared  with  a  Yamani 

sword 127 

Grandfather's  name  given  familiarly  15 

Gospel  of  Infancy  ....  228 

HAD  I'D  =  iron  716 


338 


A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 


Hafsah  (Caliph  Omar's  daughter  and 

wife  of  Mohammed)  .  .  .165 
Hafsites  (Dynasty  in  Mauritania)  .  i*. 
Hajj  al-Akbar  and  Hajj  al-Asghar  .  169 
Hajib  =  groom,  chamberlain  .  .  304 
Halfah-grass  (Poa)  18 

Hal  wa  =  sweetmeats  .  .  47;  212 
Hamah  =  Hightowa  .  .  .178 
Hanbal  (see  Ahmad  bin  Hanbal)  .  204 
Hanien  =  pleasant  to  thee  !  after 

drinking 5 

Hanifah  (see  Abu  Hanifah)  .  .  207 
Hard  of  heart  and  soft  of  sides  .  5 
Harf  =  letter,  syllable  .  .  .307 
Hasan  al-Basri  (theologian)  .  .165 

Hashimi  vein 19 

Hatim  al-Asamm  (the  Deaf)  .  .  207 
Hawa  al'-Uzri  =  platonic  love  .  304 
«'  He  "  for  "  She  "  out  of  delicacy  .  179 
Head-kerchief  (deshabille)  .  .  328 
Hiba"  =  cords,  garters  .  .  .  236 
Hijdz  (al)  =  Moslem  Holy  Land  .  306 
Himalayan  brothers  .  .211;  260 
Hjps  (their  volume  admired)  ,  .  285 
Hishlm  bin  Abd  al-Malik  (Caliph)  .  170 
Holiness  supposed  to  act  as  talisman  251 
Honour  amongst  thieves  .  .  .  159 
Horses  not  taught  to  leap  .  .89 
Hospitals  hated  ....  70 
Hubb  al-Watan  =  patriotism  .  .183 
Hunger  (burns)  ....  144 
Hungry  judges  "  hanging  judges  "  .  198 
Hymeneal  blood  resembles  that  of 

pigeon-poult  ....  50 
Hysterical  Arab  temperament  .  . 

54;  101;  181 


IBN  ABI  ANFA  ....  200 

Ibrahim  bin  Adham.  .  .  .  203 

Idgah  (place  of  prayer)  .  .  '  .  202 
Ikh  !  Ikh !  (cry  to  a  camel  to  make 

it  kneel  down)  .  .  .  .139 

Imam  =  leader,  antistes  .  .  .  203 

Incest  repugnant  to  Moslem  taste  .  172 

Index  finger  (Shahid)  .  .  .  300 

Inshad  =  reciting,  improvising  .  126 
Inshallah  bukrah  =  to-morrow  if, 

Allah  please  ....  324 
Intercession-doctrine  disputed 

amongst  Moslems  ...  40 

Inverted  speech  (forms  of)  .  .  265 


Irak  =  level  country  beside    river 

banks 132 

Iron  (conjures  away  fiends)       .        .316 
Istikbal  =;  coming  forth  to  greet       .     287 
Ithmid   (stibium,  antimone)   =:  Sp. 
Ahhimod 103 

J,  HOW  it  came  to  take  the  place  of 

Y  in  the  English  Bible        .         .  43 

Jabarti  =  Moslem  Abyssinian  .        .  15 

Jamil  ibn  Ma'amar  (poet)         .         .  102 

Jandzah  =  bier  with  corpse  .  .  46 
Jars  for  cooling  water  .  .  .21 

Jasalik  (A1-)  =  Ka0oXt/cds,  Primate  228 
Jawarnah  (Jurnah)  =  Zara  .  .219 
Jawfsh  =  apparitor,  sergeant,  royal 

messenger 49 

Jews  adepts  in  magic        .        .        .  233 

Jokh  =  broad-cloth         .        .        .  in 

Jujube-sherbet  .  .  .  .  317 
Jurab  mi'adat-hu  (bag  of  his  belly 

«=  scrotum)         .        .        .        .  233 

KAFIR  =  Infidel,  Giaour.  .  .  292 
Kafiir  =  Camphor  ....  47 
Kahwah  (Kihwah)  =  strong  old 

wine 261 

Kalam  =  leg  cut  ....  107 
Kalam  wati  =  vulgarism  .  .  .  113 
Kamah  =  fathom  ....  56 
Kanmakan(p.n-)  "was  that  which  was"  280 
Kantar  (quintal)  =  98-99  Ibs.  avoir  233 
Karim  =  generous  (cream  of  men)  .  35 
Kasabah  =  rod  (measurement)  .  328 
Kasabat  =  canes,  bugles .  .  .298 
Kasr  al-Nuzhat  =  palace  of  delights  22 
Kausar  (fountain)  =  nectar-amrita  .  186 
Kaywdn  (Persian  for  Saturn)  .  .  75 
Kayim  (professional  wrestler,  names 

of  such) 93 

Kaylulah  =  siesta  .  .  .  .178 
Kazi  al-Kuzat  =  Chief  Justice  .  90 
Kazis  (the  four  of  the  orthodox 

schools) 39 

Kazib  al-Ban  =  willow-wand  .  .  66 
Khalbus  =  buffoon  -  .  .  .143 
Khalid  bin  al-Walfd  .  .  .203 

binSafwan  .  .  .  .170 

Khalflu  'llah  (friend  of  Allah  = 

Abraham) 13* 

Khara  =  dung,  lowest  insult  .  .  5^ 


Indtx. 


339 


Khara  (Holy  Merde)        .        .        .    223 
Khalanj  (a  hard  kind  of  wood)          .     269 
(Vol.  I.  154) 
Khattiyah  =  writer,  f.  ;  spear,  from 

Khatt  Hajar  ....  I 
Kliatt  Sharif  =  a  royal  hand  letter  .  39 
Khayzaran  =  rattan  ...  66 
Khaznah  (Khazinah)  =  I,CXDO  kfs  of 

84 
66 
55 
237 
228 
77 
314 

.  291 
.  37 
.  38 
64;  78 
.  79 
.  91 
.  95 
.132 
.  140 
.  146 

iS6 
.198 
.  199 
.  201 
.  203 
.  205 
.  207 
.  225 

226 


Khilaf  (Khalaf)  =  Salix  ^Egyptiaca 
Khusyatan  =  testicles 
Kirdmat  =  prodigy  .  .  .  . 
Kissis  =  ecclesiast  .... 
Knight  errant  of  the  East.  .  . 
Knuckle-bone  ..... 
Kohl  -powder  keeps  the  eyes  from 
inaflmmation  .... 
Koran  quoted  (xxxviii.  19)  .  . 

-  (xciv.  II  ;  cv.  57)         .         . 
.  -  (iv.)      .         .         .         . 

-  (iii  57)        -.. 

-  (vii.,  Ixxvi.,  Ixxxvi.)      . 

-  (iv.  xxii.)      ... 
'  -  (iii.  £9}         .         .        . 

-  (ix.,  xxxiii.)i         .         . 

-  (iv.  88)        ... 

-  (v.) 

--  (ii.  etc.)        .        .        . 

-  (ii.  185)        ... 

-  (Ixxiv.  i,  8  ;  xcvi.)       . 

-  (xvi.  74;  ii.  1  18)  .         . 

-  (Ivi.  6  ;   xxviii.  ;   vii.  ;    ix  ) 

-  (xxviii.  22-27)       .         . 

-  (xiv.  34)       ... 

-  (Ixi.) 


«  -  (Ui.  141)  . 

•  (x.  25)          .... 

•  -  (ii.  149  ;  xcv.)      .        .        . 

•  -  (xlx.  170)      .         .         .         . 

•  -  (xviii.)  .         .         .         . 

•  -  (xcvi.  5)        .         .         .         . 
—    (xxiv.)  . 

•  -  (vii.  21) 

Koss  ibn  Sa'idat  (Bishop  of  Najran) 
Kubad  =  shaddock  .  .  . 
Kuds  (A1-)  see  Bayt  al-Mukaddas  . 
Kvifiyah  =  coif,  etc.  .  .  . 
Kulaib  allows  no  one  to  approach  his 
camp-fire  ..... 
Kunfuz  =  hedgehog  ... 


239 
242 
281 
293 
298 
312 
316 
37 
310 
132 
230 

77 
88 


Kurrah  =  ball  in  the  Polo  game  .  329 
Kursl  al-wilddah  =  birth-stool  .  80 
Kutait  =  little  torn  cat  .  .  .  39 
Kuthayyir  (poet)  .  .  .  .102 
Kuzia  Fakan  (P.  N.)  "  it  was  decreed 

by  destiny ;  so  it  came  to  pass  "  .     175 

LABBAVKA  =  here  I  am  .  .  .  227 
La  ilaha  ilia  'llah  =  there  is  no  God 

but  the  God  (tahlil)  .  .  .236 
Language  of  signs  ....  304 

La  rayba  fi-hi 220 

Layl  (night)  frequently  =  the  interval 

between  sunset  and  sunset .        .    260 
Laza( Hell  for  Jews)         ...     140 
Leg-cut  (severs  horse's  leg)      .         .    226 
Letter   (reading  not   always  under- 
standing)      IJ2 

Li-ajal  =  for    the    sake   of,    low 

Egyptian 113 

Lice  bred  by  perspiration         .        .      69 
Lion  at  home,  lamb  abroad      .        .183 
Lisam  (mouth-band  for  men,  chin- 
veil    ( =  Yashmak)    for    women 

3» ;  230 

Locks  (Mohammed's)  .  .  .  230 
Lost  on  Allah's  way  =  martyr  .  330 
Loving  folk  =.  something  mure  than 

benevolence  ....  a 
Lukman  (.4Ssop  of  the  Arabs)  .  .199 
Lullilooing  (Tahlil,  Zaghrutah,  Kil)  80 
Lupin- flour  used  as  soap  .  .  .136 
Lynx  (trained  for  hunting)  .  .  293 

MA  AL-KHII.AF  .  .  .  .136 
Magic  studied  by  Jews  .  .  .  234 
Mahmil  (mahmal)  =  litter.  .  .  131 
Ma'ajanah  (a  place  for  making  bricks)  17 
Makhaddah  =  pillow  ...  70 
Malik,  used  as  in  our  story-books  .  I 

bin  Dinar     ....     204 

Mandil  =  kerchief  .  .  .  .301 
Manumission  of  slaves  •  •  •  5$ 
Man's  creation  .  .  .  '91 
Mansur  (A1-)  Caliph  .  142  ;  153  ;  210 
-.  .  bin  Ammar  ....  204 
Maragha  =  he  rubbed  his  face  .  .  60 
Mardan-i-Shayb  (Himalayan  brothers)  21 1 
Marhum  (f.  Marhumah)  =  late  la- 
mented .  .  .  .  129;  196 
Marjanahrr  coral  branch  (P.  N.)  .  100 
Marriage-sheet  inspected ...  50 


340 


A  If  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 


Martyrs  (still  alive)  .... 
Maskharah  =  buffoon      .         .        . 
Maslamah  bin  Abd  al-Malik    . 
Matmurah  rz:  underground  cell .        . 
Mayzun     (Badawi   wife    of    Caliph 

Mu'awiyah)          .... 
Mitrahinna  (Minat-ro-hinnu)  =  port 

at  mouth  of  canal 

Mohammed  (best  of  the  first  and  last) 
(Mustafa) 


242 
143 
167 
39 

1 60 

237 
ii 

40 

—  (Periclytus  and  Paracletus)   226 

—  His  letter  to  the  Mukaukis      79 


abhors  the  shaveling 

(Bearer  of  glad  and  bad 


tidings) 

(Congratulator  and  Com- 

miserator) 

(Best  of  mankind) . 


Money  weighed  when  old  and  worn  . 
Monkery  abhorred  by  Mohammed  . 
Moon  (blighting  effect  of  its  rays)  . 

•  masculine  in  Semitic     . 
Mooring- pole  customary  in   Tigris- 
Euphrates  land  .... 

Moses  (derivation  of  the  name) 

and  Jethro   .... 

— —  and  the  next  world 

•  and  Al-Khizr       .         . 
Moslems,  model  Conservatives 

•  external    .... 
— — — —  peasants  kind-hearted 
familiarity    between 

and  low 

Mosques  serving  as  lodgings  for  poor 

travellers    ..... 
Mother's  milk  =  nature    .        .        . 
Mu'awiyah  (Caliph)          .        .160; 
Muazzin  (who  calls  to  prayer)    . 
Mu'ujizah  =  miracle  of  a  prophet     . 
Musa  =  Moses         . 
Musakhkham    (A1-)   =  the    defiled 

Cross ...... 

Musk  (scent  of  heaven)    . 

Muzani  (A1-) 

Mu'ayyad  (Sultan  and  calligrapher) . 
Mustafa  (the  chosen)  =  Mohammed . 


high 


248 

257 

260 
263 

US 
248 

4 
45 

20 

205 

*b 

206 

263 

13 

29 

69 

32 

69 
44 

161 
306 

237 
205 

220 

300 

208 

32 

40 


NAHAs  ahmar  =  copper  .        .         .  327 
Na'fman  =  may  it  benefit  thee !  after 

bathing,  etc 5 

Kajiyah  =  Salvadora       .         .        .  145 


Najran  (in  Syria)  ...»  232 
Nakfur  =  Nieephorus  ...  77 
Nakh  =  make  a  camel  kneel  down 

bythecrylkh!  Ikh!  .        .        .    139 
Nakl-i-safar  (move  preliminary  to  a 

journey) 84 

Naming  of  a  child    .        .        .        .174 

Ndr  (fire) 163 

Narcissus  (with  negro  eyes  =  yellow- 
ish white) 24 

Nawa  =  date-stone  ;     Nawayah  = 

severance 315 

Nat'a  =  leather  of  blood  .  .41 
Nazir  =  Overseer  ....  304 
Neighbour  before  the  house,  com* 

panion  before  the  journey    .        .     207 
Negroes    (see  Slaves)   familiarity  of 

boys  with  white  girls  . 
skin  assumes  dust-colour  in 

cold,  etc 127 

Nimrod  of  the  desert  .  .  .  291 
Nimsd  =  Germans  .  .  .  .219 
Nimshah  (Namshah?)r=  dagger  of 

state 193 

Nufs  (nifs,  nuss)  =  half  (a  dirham)  .  37 
Nu'uman's  flower  =  anemone  .  325 
Nuzhat  al  Zaman  =  delight  of  the 

age 8l 

OATH  (inconsiderate)  .  .  .136 
Obscene  abuse  meant  as  familiarity, 

not  insult 88 

Offering  for  naught  =  closing  with 

the  offer 4 

Ohod  (battle  of)  ....  165 
Omar  bin  al-Khattab  (Caliph) 

158;  159;  162;   164 
Othman  (Caliph)     .         .        .        .163 

PALM-STICK  (a  salutary  rod)  .  .  22 

Payne  quoted  .  .  .19;  1 85;  304 

Pen  and  Preserved  Tablet  .  .  68 
Periphrase  containing  a  negative  adds 

emphasis 83 

"Philippi"  and  "Alexanders"  in 

Sidon 82 

Physical  prognostication  familiar  to 

Mesmerists  ....  72 

Pieces  d'occasion  mostly  sad  doggrels  261 
Pillow  (wisadah,  makhaddah),  taking 

to  =  taking  to  one's  bed  .        .  7<* 


Index. 


341 


Pilgrimage  quoted   (I.  Ii;  iii.  285)  . 

(i.  261 ;  iii.  7)      .        .        .       ,5 

MIO;  346)        ...      31 

(»•  77)          ....      40 

(iii.  330)       .         .        .         .113 

("•  "3)         •         .        .         .     114 

('»•  333)       •        .        .        .124 

(i«.  12)         ....     131 

(iii.  254)        .         .         .         .132 

(i.  222  ;  ii.  91)      .         .         .     139 

(H.II8)         ....     140 

(i-  121)         .         .        .         .163 

(ii.  227)        .         ,         .        .     ! 

(iii.  226  ;  342,  344)       •         .     169 

(ii-49)       '   •        •        .        .178 

(i-  305)  .        .        .180 

(iii.  322)       .        .        .        .    203 

(ii.  89)          ...        .     220 

(iii.  115)       .        .'       -.        .    224 

(iii.  232)       ....     227 

(i-  346)         .        .         .         .230 

' ("i.  78)         ....     236 

(ii.  no)        .        .        .        .242 

(iii.  171— 175;  203]      .         .     272 

(iii.  113)       .         .        .         .     286 

(m.  71)         ....     293 

(ii.  105,  205)         .         .         .317 

(ii.  58  ;  iii.  343)   .        .        .327 

(»•  1 10)        .         .         .         .330 

Pitching  tents  within  dog-bark  from 

Royalty  disrespectful.  .  .  294 
Plunder  sanctioned  by  custom  .  .  68 
Prayer  for  the  dead  lack  the  Sijdah  .  10 

of  Ramazdn          .        .         .     202 

Preserved  Tablet  ....  68 
Prognostication  frequently  mentioned  72 
Preliminaries  of  a  wrestling  bout  .  92 
Prominence  of  the  pugaic  muscles 

insisted  upon  ....  98 
Prophets  (have  some  manual  trade)  286 
Province  ("  some  "  =  Sancho  Panza's 

"  insula  " 188 

Puns  (wretched  and  otherwise)  64;  179  •  182 
Purifying  (after  evacuation)  .  .  326 

RACING  a  favourite  pastime  .  273 

Rank  (derived  from  Pers.  rang  = 

colour) 192 

Rasm  =  usage  (justifies  a  father 

killing  his  son)  ....  7 
Rayhani  (handwriting)  .  .  .301 


Reed  =  pen  (title  of  the  Koranic 
chapt.  Ixviii.)  .... 

Rijal  al-Ghayb  (invisible  controuls)  . 

Rising  up  and  sitting  down  sign  of 
agitation  ..... 

Robing  one's  self  in  rags  =  becoming 
a  Fakir  ..... 

Rubb  =  syrup  "  Rob  "    ... 

Rudaynah  and  Rudaynian  lances      . 


68 
211 


171 
3 


S ABAB  =  rope  (hence  « '  a  cause  ")  .  14 
Sabbigh  =  dyer  ....  305 
Sabt  r=  Sabbath  .  .  ib. 


Sadd  =  wall,  dyke. 

Saffron  (Aphrodisiac) 

Safiyu  'llah  (Adam)  r=  pure  of  Allah 

Sahakah  =  tribadism 

Sa'irr  running  between    Safi,    and 

Marwah 

Sa'id  bin  Jubayr       . 

Saihun   and  Jayhun  =  Jaxartes  and 

Bactrus  . 

Sale  — calf  of  the  leg       .        . 
Said  =  cup-bearer  . 
Sakr  =  hawk  . 
Saram  =  S  (alia)  A  (llah)  a 

wa  S  (allam)  see  Abhak 
Salam  (to  be  answered  by  a  better 

salutation) 

(of  prayers)  .         .        •        . 

Samsam  (sword  of  the  Tobba  Amru 

bin  Ma'ad  Kurb) 
Sapphic  venery        .        .  -     . 
Sarfr  =  bier  (empty) 
Saulajan  =  bat  in  "bat  and  ball "    . 
Scrotum  curdling  in  fear  . 
Seditions  in  Kufah  caused  by  Caliph 

Othman's  nepotism     . 
Septentriones   (four  oxen  and  their 
wain) ...... 

Serving  the  Lord  by  sinning  against 

one's  body 

Seven  deadly  sins     .... 
Shafi'i  (school  of  Theology) 
Shahid  =  index,  pointer  .         . 
Shahmiyanah  (large  tent) . 
Shahrazad   (various  explanations  of 
the  name)     ..... 
Shakespear  and  musical  glasses 
Shambar  =:  Cassia  fistularis 


128 

234 
124 

234 
327 

201 


78 

•  327 
•      27,  327 

•  293 
(layhi) 

.       24 


146 
243 

127 

234 
46 

3^9 
233 

1*3 


208 
175 
'Si 
300 

194 

3 
3 

241 


342 


Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah. 


Sharrkan  (Sharrun  kana)  n  bane  to 

the  foe 78 

Shaukat  =  sting,  pride  .  .  ,  106 
Shaving  and  depilation  .  .  .160 
Shaykh  =  elder,  chief  .  .  .144 
Shawahi  (from  Shauh)  =  having  a 

fascinating  eye    ....  269 

Shirk  =;  giving  a  partner  to  Allah    .  202 

Shiyar  (old  name  for  Saturday)  .  305 
Shouting  under  a  ruler's  palace  to 

attract  attention ....  38 

Shu*aib  =  Jethro    ....  205 

Siddfk  =  true  friend        .        •        .  197 

I  Sign  of  the  cross  on  the  fore -head    .  224 

Sin  =  China 77 

|  Sins  (seven  deadly)  .        .        .        .175 

Sijdah  ==  prostration  10 
Silah-ddr  =  armour-bearer  .  .215 

Slander  (poisoned  =  fatal)       .        .  264 

Slaves,  Cannibals    ....  48 

•  Familiarity  ....  49 
called     "Camphor,0      like 

"Snowball"      .        .        .        .47 
refuse  to  be  set  free      .        .  55 

•  Manumission  of    .        .        .  ib» 

•  Destructiveness    .        .         ,  ib. 

Girls'  names         *        .         •  57 

••            Returning  from  a  journey      .  65 

•  Christian  girls  sent  to  Mos- 
lems .        .       .       .        .  79 

•  Girls    examined  as   to    vir- 
ginity           147 

•  •'       Behaving  like  one         .         .270 
Sledge  (thrashing  =  tribulum) .        .  23 
Sleeping  and  slumbering  .        .        .178 
Smoking  out  (a  common  practice)    .  255 
Smothering    a    rival    common    in 

Harems 58 

Softness  of  skin  highly  prized  .  .  295 
Sole  of  a  valley  often  preferred  to 

encamp  in 85 

Solomon  and  al-Sakhr      ...  97 

Sons  of  the  Road  =  wayfarers          .  23 

Son  (the  lamp  of  a  dark  house)         .  280 

Sophia  (P.N.  and  Mosque)  .  .  79 
Speaking  en  prince  .  .  .  .184 
Spiritual  Sciences  (Moslem  form  of 

Cabbala) 151 

Spurring  =  kicking  with  the  shovel- 
stirrup        89 

Standards  reversed  in  sign    of   de- 
feat   ........  259 


Sucking  the  dead  mother's  breast, 

touch  of  Arab  pathos  .  .  .128 
Sufyan  al-Thauri  ....  202 
Sulayman  bin  Marwan  (Caliph)  .  167 
Sweet,  the  (slang  for  fire)  .  .163 
Swearing  on  Blade  and  Book  .  .  332 
Syria  (Sham)  =  left-hand  land .  .  224 

TAB  (game)  ==  tip-cat  .  .  .314 
Tabvit  =  bier  (empty)  ...  46 
Ta  am  =  meat ;  millet  ...  67 
Tabzir  =  female  circumcision  .  .  234 
Tafazzal  =  favorisca  (have  the  kind- 
ness)   103 

Taggaa 88 

Tahlil  rrRefrain  of  Unity          .        .     236 
Taj   al-Muluk    Kharan  =  crown    of 
the  kings  of  amorous  blandish- 
ment   291 

Takht-rawan  =  travelling  litter  .  180 
Talbiyat  (formula  labbayka)  .  .  227 
Takruri  ==  Moslem  from  Central  and 

Western  North  Africa  .  .  15 
Tfrhah  =  head-veil  ...  52 
Tasnfm  (from  sanam)  =  a  fountain 

in  Paradise 100 

Taswif  =  saying  "Sauf"  a  particle 

to  express  near  future  .  .  .  296 
Tawashshuh  =  shoulder-cut  .  .  107 
Taub  (Saub,  Tobe)  =  loose  garment  206 
Tawaf  (circumambulation  of  the 

Ka'abah     ...  .327 

Testimonies  (the  two  Shahddatain)  .  10 
Testicles  (names  for)  .  .  55 

(curdling  in  fear)       .         .     233 

Thigh-bite  allowed  in  wrestling  .  93 
Thrusting  (applied  to  spear  and 

lance) 231 

Tip-cat  stick 314 

Tob  =  Span.  Adobe  (unbaked  brick)  1 7 
Tor  (Mount  Sinai  ....  242 

(its  shaking)     .        .         .        .281 

Torrens  quoted  .  .  .5;  19;  80 
Traditionists— 

Al-Zuhri 198 

Ibn  Abi  Ausfa  .  .  .  .200 
Sa'id  bin  Jubayr  .  .  .201 
Sufyan  al-Thauri  .  .  .202 
Bishr  al-Hafi  .  .  .  .203 
Mansur  bin  Ammar  .  .  .  204 
Trailing  the  skirts  (humbly)  .  .  165 


tndex. 


343 


Travelling  at  night  ....  286 

Tribulum  (threshing-sledge)     .         .  108 

Triregno  (denoted  by  the  Papal  Tiara)  236 

Trouser -string 60 

Turk  =  Turkoman,  nomade     .        .218 

— —  =  plunderer,  robber        .         .  304 

Turtur  (an  Arab's  bonnet)        .        .  143 

*UD  Jalaki  r=  Damascus  lute    .         .  100 

Umrah  =  lesser  Pilgrimage  .  .  169 
Unveiling  the  face  a  sign  of  being  a 

Christian 119 

Urining 326 

Usul  (fundamentals)         .        .  15 

Veil,  see  Lisam         .        .        .        .31 

Wadyrr  valley  .  .  .  .85 
Wakkdd  (A1-)  =  stoker,  fireman  of  a 

Hammam-bath  ....  134 
Walid  bin  Marwdn  (Caliph)  .  .167 
Wa  'lldhi  tayyib  =  By  Allah,  good  !  34 
Warm  one's  self  at  a  man's  fire  ,  76 
Washing  the  dead  without  doors  only 

in  case  of  poverty  .  .  .  10 
Wazir  (the  sharp-witted  in  the  tales)  246 
Whitening  and  blackening  of  the  faces 

on  Judgment-day  .  .  .  312 
Wine  (kahwah)  .  ..  • .  .261 
— —  (table  and  service)  .  .  122 
Wisddah  =  pillow  .  »  •  .  70 
Wives  have  their  night  in  turns  .  78 
Women,  cries  of  .  .  .  .6 

•  weeping  and  wailing  before 
cenotaphs 68 

•  maltreated  under  the  Caliph- 
ate      69 

captives        ....  94 

of  the  blue-stocking  type      .  156 

•  Consult  them  and    do    the 
contrary 184 

created  of  a  crooked  rib        .     161 

Worlds  (the  three  =  Triloka)  .        .    236 


Wreckers  .  .  • 
Wrestling  and  Wrestlers  . 
Wuzu-ablution  necessary  before  Join 

ing  in  prayers     ....      46 


ill 

93 


XISISTHRUS  =  Noah 


20;  25 


YAFTAH  ALLAH  rr  Allah  will  open, 

an  offer  being  insufficient  .  .  149 
Yd  Hdjj  =  O  Pilgrim  .  .  .15 
Yaman  (A1-)  =  right  hand  region  .  179 
•  Lightning  on  the  hills  of  .  i&. 

Yashmak  (chin-  veil  for  women)  .  31 
Yauh  (conversationally  Yehh)  expres- 

sion of  astonishment  .  .  .321 
Yaura-i-Alast  =  Day  of  am-I-not 

(your  Lord)  ?  .  .  .  .91 
Yes,  Yes  !  and  No,  No  !  trifles  com- 

mon amongst  the  Arabs  .  .  60 
Yundn,  Yuodniya  =  Greece  .  .  82 
Yusuf  bin  Omar  ....  170 


=  plain  honest  Moslems  .  29 
Zahr  Shdh  (P.  N.)  .  .  .  .284 

Zanj  =  negroes  of  Zanzibar  .  .  5 

Zardah  =  rice  with  saffron,  etc.  »  313 

Zarkd  (Cassandra  of  Yamdmah)  .  104 

Zat  al-Dawdhf  =  Lady  of  Calamities  87 

Zau  al-Makan  (Light  of  the  Place)  .  Si 

Zawi  '1-furuj  =  habentes  rimam  .  49 

Zayn  al-Abidfn  (grandson  of  Ali)  .  202 

Zemzem  (well)  .  •  ,  .  272 
Zikr  (and  Edwin  Arnold's  Pearls  of 

Faith)  .....  28 

Zirt  =  broken  wind  ;  derivatives  .  88 
Ziydd  bin  Abi  Sufydn  .  .  .163 

'  '  Zug  '  '  (draught)  feared  by  Orientals  9 

Zuhal  :=  Saturn  .  •  •  75 

Zuhrf  (A1-)  .....  198 

Zukdk  al-Nakib  =  Syndic  street  .  325 
Zunndr  =^^7,  confounded  with  the 

"Janeo"   ......  215 


From  the  Library 
Trinity  College 
Toronto 


Circulation  and  Reference  Senses 
978-5851 


13* 


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